Sarah Shepard's Log
by pippin143
Summary: A novelization of my Mass Effect play through from FemShep's first person point of view. Just from beginning of ME1 to just after she becomes a Spectre.
1. 1 Getting To Know You

I have just put my red and black N7 armor on and quickly walk through the halls of the Normandy to the cockpit, where my pilot, Jeff "Joker" Moreau, is summoning me. I'm slightly nervous, this being my first mission as commander of the Normandy crew, but I know I'm well able and qualified for the job. At least that was the reason I was told I'd been assigned: that I'd proven myself in the Blitz. All I ever hear about is the Blitz, the Blitz, the Blitz. I lost so many men in the Blitz…

"The Arcturus Prime Relay is in range," Joker's voice calls over the coms in the walls, "installing transmission sequence."

I pass by the navigational post where Captain Anderson is positioned, mapping out the course on a dais surrounded by a holographic map of the universe. Corporal Jenkins solutes me as commander as I walk by, as do the other crew members.

"We are connected," Joker affirms as we sail by Neptune, "Calculating transit mass and destination." I walk down the technical hall that leads to the cockpit. The nerves are starting to take hold of me, my armor feeling heavy for the first time. But I press onward.

"The relay is hot," Joker says, prideful of his piloting skills, "Acquiring approach vector. All stations secure for transit." I arrive in the cockpit and look out into the space frontier, watching the rapidly approaching mass relay that will send us flying through the stars at light-year speeds to our destination. How would anyone ever travel the stars without the relays?

"The board is green," Joker says, not seeing me yet, "Approach run has begun."

The relay is as huge as a small moon, and looks slightly like a giant nutcracker. It is made of foreign metals and has blue energy ball swirling in its center, which one could consider the 'nut' in this nutcracker.

Joker pulls the ship alongside the relay jump, the ship gathers speed, but the inside stays controlled and safe from the g-force. "Hitting the relay in 3…2…1—," The blue energy reaches for us and the ship launches forward at light-year speed, leaving only a blue streak in its wake as we hurtle through space of solar system, known as the Local System, into our neighboring systems in our galaxy of the Milky Way.

I stand watch over the cockpit as Joker and Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko navigate the ship through hyper-space. "Thruster…check. Navigation…check," Joker lists in a monotone, "Internal emissions sync engaged. All systems online. Drift…just under 1500 k."

The turian Spectre, Nihlus, had joined us in the pit. His exoskeleton was a dark brown, and he had white warrior paint on his face and mandibles. He said in an approving voice, "1500 is good. Your captain will be pleased." He then turned to leave. I couldn't shake the feeling he was evaluating us.

The second he disappeared down the bridge, Joker said, "I hate that guy."

Kaidan rolled his eyes and said, "Nihlus gave you a compliment…so you hate him?"

Joker mocked Nihlus, and the rest of the crew by saying, "You remembered to zip up your jump-suit on the way out of the bathroom? That's good. I just jumped us halfway across the galaxy and hit the target a size of a pinhead. So that's incredible. Besides, Spectres are trouble. I don't like having him on board. Call me paranoid."

Kaidan humored him. "You're paranoid. The council funded this project. They have a right to send someone to keep an eye on their investment."

"Yup. That's the official story," Joker said sarcastically, "but only an idiot believes the official story." Joker was being paranoid, but I couldn't help hearing the truth in his words. I spoke for the first time.

"I agree. They don't send Spectres on shakedown runs." Nihlus was here for a bigger reason. I didn't think he was bad, I just knew there was something we hadn't been told.

Joker, happy to have his opinion supported said, "So here is more going on here than the captain is letting on." They continued to navigate the ship through space when Captain Anderson spoke through the comm asking for the status report, which Joker respectfully complied, even though he had just been talking poorly about him before.

"Good," Anderson says, "Find us a comm buoy and link us into the network. I want mission reports relayed back to the Alliance brass before we reach Eden Prime." He sounds concerned, and I begin to wonder what it is they haven't told us yet.

"Aye, aye, Captain. Oh, and better brace yourself. Nihlus is heading your way."

"I'm already here, Lieutenant Moreau," the flanged voice says haughtily through the comm. Joker curses under his breath while Kaidan shakes his head, grinning.

"Tell Commander Shepard to meet me in the comm room for a debriefing," the captain continued, "Anderson out." The comm beeped off.

Joker looks to me and asks with a half-smile, "You got that commander?"

"He sounded upset…" I say to myself, "I hope everything is okay." I then turn down the bridge and head to the comm room.

Behind me I hear Joker saying, "Is it just me, or does the Captain always sound a little pissed off?"

Kaidan breathes a playful sigh, "Only when he's talking to you, Joker." I can hear them laughing at this. I wish I was at that much ease. I just can't shake the feeling that something is going to go terribly wrong. And I wasn't alone.

All along the bridge I could hear my crew members and Navigator Pressly mumbling about Nihlus and the mission. There was something wrong about the whole thing.

Pressly was saying, "I'm telling you! I just saw him. He marched by like he was on a mission." Engineer Adams responded through a comm in the engine room, "He's a Spectre. They're always on a mission."

"And we're getting dragged right along with him!"

"Relax Pressly, or you're going to give yourself an ulcer." They see me and salute. Pressly says, "Congratulation Commander. You heading down to see the Captain?"

"I heard what you were saying," I say, slightly amused, "Sounds like you don't' trust our Turian guest."

"Oh, sorry Commander," he says abashed, "Adams and I were just having a chat. We didn't mean to cause any trouble." He paused, then added quietly, "But you have to admit something is odd about this mission. The whole crew feels it."

Curious on his input, I ask what he means by this. "You think the Alliance brass is holding out on us?"

"If all we're supposed to do is test out the stealth system, why is Captain Anderson in charge? And then there's Nihlus. Spectres are elite operatives. Top covert agents for the Council. Why send a Spectre—a turian Sprectre—on a shakedown run? It doesn't add up." I knew most of my crew was anti-alien, but I still didn't appreciate the racism when I heard it.

"The wars with the Turians were over thirty years ago. You can't blame Nihlus for that."

"I'm sorry," he said, "I know. But it's also because he's a Spectre. He doesn't have to listen to us. He plays by his own rules. He's treating this run to seriously. Something big is going on. You know what a mean? I just don't trust him."

"I'll see if I can get some answers when I see them," I said, "I'm seeing Anderson now in the comm room." We shook hands, and then I rounded the wall divider and bumped right into Corporal Jenkins and Doctor Chakwas.

Jenkins, a young recruit, was buzzing with excitement as the older woman listened to him, thoroughly amused. He was telling her about how he thought this mission was going to end up being big, similar to Pressly. Chakwas told him that Anderson was in charge and he wouldn't be taking orders from the Spectre.

"Not his choice, Doc!" Jenkins said enthusiastically, "Spectres don't answer to anyone. They can do whatever they want—kill anyone who gets in there way!"

Chakwas laughed, "Oh, you've been watching too many spy vids, Jenkins!"

Jenkins turned to me, and after a quick salute, asked "What do you think commander? We won't be staying on Eden Prime too long, will we? I'm itching for some real action!"

Chakwas gave him a skeptical look, "I sincerely hope you're kidding, Corporal. Your real action usually ends up with me patching up crew members in the infirmary."

I look at the young boy sadly, "Only a fool goes looking for a fight, Corporal."

He looks down, shameful, "Sorry, Commander, but this waiting is killing me. I've never been on a mission like this before—with a Spectre on board!"

"Hey, you'll do fine. Just keep a level head and don't do anything stupid." Chawkwas smiled at this and rolled her eyes, for she had been working with Jenkins for a while now. "But what do you two know about the Spectres? I've only just gotten here, and I don't know too much about these Council politics."

"Only What I've heard," Chakwas responded. "They work directly for the Council and alone or in small groups. They usually come from the Council races, who happen to be Turian, Asari, and Salarian. We've been trying to get a human accepted into their ranks for years now. So far, it hasn't happened. But they don't have any official power though, more like a shadow organization tasked with preserving galactic stability."

"At any cost!" Jenkins interrupted, "Don't forget they work above the law!"

I laughed slightly, "I'll remember that."

"Hey Commander!" he said suddenly, "You'd make a good Spectre! You're a war hero, right? Single handily held off an invading fleet in the blitz?" He began imitating shooting an assault rifle, when Chakwas slapped him on the hand. "But that's the kind of talent the Spectres are looking for."

"Except they aren't interested in recruiting human Spectres, no matter how capable."

"Well, thanks for your input," I said, "I have to go see Anderson in the comm room now." They saluted as I walked away. I was happy I wasn't the only one on edge here.

I met a surprise as the doors whirred open to the galactic comm room, a dimly lit, circular dais surround by holo-comms and space view windows. Anderson was not there, but Nihlus was. He seemed to always be around where I was. It was unnerving.

"Commander Shepard," he said pleased, "I was hoping you'd get here first. It will give us a chance to talk." He seemed at ease, but I could tell this was a matter of importance.

"What about?" I asked, a little confused.

"I'm interested in this world we are going to—Eden Prime they call it. I've heard it is quite beautiful."

"They say it's a paradise."

He smiled, and began to pace, "Yes, a paradise. Serene, tranquil, safe. Eden Prime has become something of a symbol for you people, hasn't it? Proof that human kind cannot only establish colonies across the galaxy, but protect them. But how safe is it really?"

My breath caught in my lungs at this ominous statement. "What do you mean? What aren't you telling us?"

He turned to me, suddenly accusatious, "Your people are newcomers, Shepard. The galaxy can be a very dangerous place. Is the Alliance truly read for this?"

Before I could tell the bastard just exactly what I thought, Captain Anderson walked in. "I think it's about time we told the commander what's really going on."

"This mission," Nihlus said seriously, "is far more than a simple shakedown run."

I knew it. Suddenly, my nerves calmed. I was finally at ease. The ominous clouds in the distance had finally arrived and the storm had begun, but it was a storm I knew we would withstand. I smirked and said, "I figured there was something you weren't telling us."

Anderson looked to me and confessed, "We are making a covert pick-up on Eden Prime. That's why we needed the stealth equipment operational."

So far this didn't sound too bad. But I knew it would get a lot worse. "Why the secrecy? There has to be some reason you didn't tell me about this, sir."

"This comes down from the top," Anderson said gesturing eagerly, "Information is strictly on a need-to-know basis. A research team on Eden Prime unearth some kind of beacon during an excavation. It was Prothean."

Shocked, I said, "I thought the Protheans vanished fifty-thousand years ago."

"They did. There are plenty of theories, but no one really knows what happened to them. But they're legacy still remains," Nihlus said slightly in awe himself, "The mass relays, the Citadel, our ship drives—it's all based on Prothean technology. Without them, interstellar travel would be impossible."

"This is big, Shepard," Anderson said seriously, "The last time humanity made a discovery like this, it jumped our technology forward two-hundred years. But Eden Prime doesn't have the facilities to handle something like this. We need to bring the beacon back to the Citadel for proper study."

"Obviously this goes beyond mere human interests, Commander," Nihlus said offhandedly, "This discovery could affect every species in Council space."

"I'm glad you're here to help us then. It sounds like we'll be expecting trouble."

"I'm glad you'll have me. Seemed like most of the crew thought I was the enemy. And sadly, I'm always expecting trouble."

"There's more Shepard," Anderson said, a hint of worry and pride to his voice, "Nihlus isn't just here for the beacon. He's also here to evaluate you." As he said this, I could feel the turian's eyes drilling into me. Uneasily, I asked what was going on.

"The Alliance has been pushing this for a long time. Humanity wants a bigger role in shaping interstellar policy. We want more to say in the Citadel Council. The Spectres represent the Council's power and authority. If they accept a human into their ranks, it'll show how far the Alliance has come."

"You held off an enemy assault during the Blitz single handed," Nihlus said, slightly impressed, "You showed not only courage, but incredible skill. That's why I put your name forward as a candidate for the Spectres."

"Why would you want a human in the Spectres?" I asked, surprised. A Spectre. The Council was looking at me to become a Spectre. I was so confused yet exhilarated at the same time. This would be great for the Alliance and all of humanity. But suddenly it made my job a lot more difficult. I was being judged on everything I did.

"Not all turians resent humanity. Some of us see the potential of your species. We see what you have to offer to the galaxy…and the Spectres. We are an elite group, and it's rare to find an individual with the skills we seek. I don't care that you're a human, Shepard, I only care that you can do the job." He sounded genuinely impressed, and I smiled.

I looked to Anderson and said, "I assume this is good for the Alliance."

"Earth needs this Shepard. We're counting on you."

"I will need to see your skills for myself though, Commander," Nihlus said, "Eden Prime will be the first of several missions together."

"You will be in charge of the ground team. You will secure the beacon and make sure it gets onto the ship ASAP. Nihlus will accompany you to observe the mission."

"I'm ready to go," I said, focused. "Just give the word, Captain."

Anderson began, "We should be getting close to Eden—,"

Suddenly Joker's voice interrupted over the comm-link. "Captain! We've got a problem." He sounded worried.

Anderson's eyes revealed his concern. He was extremely anxious about what Joker was about to say, but he kept his voice level. "What's wrong, Joker?"

"It's a transmission form Eden Prime, sir! You better see this!" The three of us move the main vid panel to watch the transmission, as Anderson told Joker to bring it on screen.

We were deadly quiet in the dark room as the video popped to life, sending harsh cellular light diffracting in all direction. I shielded my eyes as they dilated, trying to focus on the sudden images flashing before me. I heard laser gunshots and static, and saw armed people running through the shaky video feed. A woman armored in pink and white combat gear ran up the camera man and yelled at him to get down. She proceeded to shoot upward at unseen targets as a cloud of dust filled the screen. Blue laser projected explosion were fired at the human troops from the sky, ripping people apart and sending others flying. I looked to Anderson and Nihlus and saw their expression were similar to my own. They were horrified at what was happening. Nihlus looked down, shaking his head. He did say he always expected trouble.

The man began to film an officer who shouted and to the camera as he bunkered behind and returned fire from a rock, "We are under attack." More shooting. "Taking heavy casualties. I repeat: heavy casualties! We cant—," he was shot in the arm and gasped, "need evac! They came out of nowhere! We need—," He was shot again and fell to the ground. The person filming began to freak out, scanning everything with the camera. Flashes of dead bodies were everywhere amongst the continuous explosions. He turned to another squad mate who was looked up at the sky from behind the rock. His face was horrified. The cameraman looked up and filmed the sky. A deep black hand like monstrosity filled the sky. It wasn't like any ship I'd seen before. Red electricity raced over it as it hummed loudly coming down closer to the planet. There were more explosions and the humming got louder, then the video just went to static. It was the end of the transmission.

"Everything cuts out after that," Joker explained, "No comm traffic at all. Just goes dead. There's nothing…"

We all stared at the static filled screen and Anderson called out, "Reverse and hold at screen thirty-eight point five."

The tape rewound and the wavering image of the hand—more octopus like—ship filled the screen. No one said anything as we gazed with dismay at the behemoth. My heart clenched in fear and hate. Who could have done this to the colony? They killed mercilessly, immorally.

Anderson took control again and commanded for a status report. "We're seventeen minutes out, Captain," Joker responded, "No other Alliance ships in the area." Then silence.

"Take us in, Joker. Fast and quiet. This mission just got a lot more complicated."

Nihlus looked to me, and said with a hint of sadness, "A small strike team can move quickly without drawing attention. It's our best chance to secure the beacon."

"Go suit up in the cargo hold," Anderson said the Spectre, who nodded and exited the room. He then turned to me and said, "Tell Alenko and Jenkins to suit up, Commander. You're going in."

Oh hell, I thought. This mission did just get a whole lot worse.


	2. 2 A Prime Suspect

The Normandy flew down to the planet, the stealth systems engaged and working perfectly. There were holes everywhere, both from the excavation and explosions. Someone had been doing some serious digging.

My squad and I are now on the dock ready to be dropped out, when Anderson comes over and tells us, "You're team is the muscle in this operation, Commander. Go heavy and head straight for the dig site."

"What about survivors, Captain?" Kaidan yells over the air suction.

"Helping survivors is a secondary objective. The Beacon is your top priority." Joker's voice rings over the comm announcing we're approaching drop point one. Nihlus appears behind us and loads his gun.

Jenkins looks to Nihlus and asks, "Nihlus! You're coming with us?"

"I move faster on my own!" he called as he jumped out the port to the drop point.

"Nihlus will scout out ahead," Anderson explained, "He'll feed you status reports throughout the mission. Otherwise, I want radio silence."

"Ready and able, sir!" I say with a salute.

"The mission's yours now, Shepard! Good luck!"

* * *

"We are approaching drop point two."

_Thud_. My offense squad and I land on Eden Prime's surface. My dark gray space armor absorbs the shock of the jump so my legs don't lock. I look over to my two comrades, Kaidan Alenko and Corporal Jenkins. They stand up from their crouched positions they landed in from the jump and give me the signal they are good and ready to go. There are forests and rocky coastlines, alluding to being a tropical paradise. Except there is smoke and fire in the air now, reminding us of the horrific battle that has taken place.

"Ship perimeter is clear, Commander," Kaidan says, after doing some quick recon. The two men ready their plasma assault rifles and wait for my signal to move out.

"Shepard," Joker's boyish voice races through my comm-link, "do you read? Over."

"Joker," I say into my link, "This is Shepard. We've landed on Prime's surface. Preparing to move out."

"Okay," Joker says, in an unofficial way, "Hold on, let me program the grid into your maps." I can hear him clicking away at keys on his end, and even humming to "99 Bottles".

I give my squad the signal to hold as we wait for Joker to download the planets grid. A green grid map materializes over my left eye section of my helmet visor. A little radar blip appears, beeping every time it detects life.

"Grid is up," I say in my commanding voice, "Move out."

"I don't get a thank you?" crackles Joker's voice into my ear.

"Keep the radio feed silent," I say sternly into my comm, "Captain Anderson said our radio feed is being monitored."

No response means Joker has decided to listen. I arm my weapon and my unit and I proceed forward down a craggy coast. The planet looks terrible. The black smog is everywhere, and craters from the explosions make navigation difficult.

"Oh gosh…" Jenkins murmurs, "What happened here?"

"Smells like smoke and death." Kaidan says quietly.

As we jog forward to our first checkpoint, I notice that the forest seems to be tinged with ash, and a hazy smolder can be seen all around. Looking out into the forest-scape, I see a fine, billowing smoke stream coming from around the direction we are heading. The enemies have already done damage to the colony.

My suspicions are confirmed when Nihlus's flanged voice comes through my comm. "This place got hit hard, Commander. Hostiles everywhere. Keep your guard up."

"Be ready," I say to my unit without the comm, "We don't know what we're going up against." This knowledge sends a wave of both fear and anticipation through my nerves.

As we continue onward, we clear through some woods and I see something that had been previously obscured from view. They are buildings that have been attacked and are blazing. Some have collapsed. The fire and smoke have turned the midday sky violent shades of red and gray. There should be tons of people here, evacuating or fighting whatever caused this. But the forest is deathly quiet. All you can hear is the crackle of the distant flames.

"Something doesn't feel right," I say quietly to my men, "Hold the position and scope the area. They bend down, guns ready. The blaze reflects off their super-soldier-suits and visors, obscuring their faces from my view, making me unable to read their expressions. From there rigid manor though, I can tell they are greatly disturbed by this act of terrorism on humanity. I can only hope they don't blame an alien race right away. My crew has the tendency to favor everything anti-alien, and I don't want these feeling to jeopardize the mission.

Kaidan Alenko gives the all clear sign, and Corporal Jenkins stands and moves forward, gun ready in hand. I stand back, waiting to follow his scouting and then to soon take the lead. Jenkins rounds down a path cut out by vehicles, and disappears behind a rocky bend. Kaidan and I begin to jog forward to re-assume formation with Jenkins. We never get the chance.

* * *

Laser shots are heard, and without thinking we surge forward. Jenkins is standing there, being fired at by two hover droid orbs. He gives an agonal scream as electric and fire sparks shoot off him.

"No!" Kaidan yells, rushing forward shooting blindly at the orbs. Within a second, Jenkins collapses to the ground, his armor fried and ripped apart.

I shoot down the orbs. They try to evade my shots, but they fall none the less. Kaidan runs to Jenkins aid. When I'm sure all the orbs are destroyed and no more are coming, I rush over to the corporal.

I get down but know the answer before Kaidan says, "Dead." He says the word like venom. He closes Jenkins eyes and stands. "They ripped right through his shields," he says in a pained voice, "he never had a chance…" There is utter sadness in the man's gray eyes.

I understand Kaidan's pain, for mine is far worse. Jenkins fell under my command. I am responsible for his death. But this is not the time to grieve. We still have a mission to complete.

"When we get back to base," I say as calmly as I can, "I'll see to it that he has a proper service. But for now we need to finish the mission. Alenko," he seems to perk up at my voice, "I need you to stay focused."

"Aye, aye Commander," he says in affirmation. I plan to retrieve his body after the mission is done, but for now we need to continue moving forward. The beacon is about three miles away yet. Not too far, but we have got to keep moving.

* * *

The terrain had now become rocky and clearer. Good for spotting enemies, but bad for protection. We run through it on high alert. There are more gas bags in this area, and I try not to disturb them, fearing they will attract unwanted attention. But it turns out they don't just explode when shot.

One near us explodes, I'm guessing from fear, and I can see a smaller creature scurry out of the explosion. The creatures must use the gas bag as a form of protection. But this occurrence only brings Kaidan and me harm.

The blast echoes through the air, and we are greeting by several more orb droids. We run forward now, blasting at them every second. We run toward the forest, hoping to get better shelter there. I still see no sign of life anywhere.

My comm buzzes, and Nihlus's voice cracks in. "Lot's of burned down buildings here, Shepard. Lot's of bodies." He seems slightly unfazed, as if he was used to this sort of thing, but I try to ignore the resentment I feel. He must do a lot of killing and see a lot death as a Spectre. Do I really want to be promoted to that rank if I succeed?

"I'm going to check it out," he continues, "I'll try to catch up with you at the dig site."

"The dig site," Kaidan says in confirmation. "That's where the Prothean thing was excavated right?"

"I'm guessing so," I say offhandedly, "I would assume an ancient object like that would be found in the ground."

"When you assume, you make an ass out of you and—,"

"Joker!" I practically scream, "keep the feed quite!"

"All right," he says. The way he said it told me that he really meant to say 'whatever'.

As we shoot down more orb droids, Kaidan walks up to one and picks it up, examining it. He scans it with his gauntlet scanner and says quietly into his comm, as if trying to prevent me from hearing him, "Joker, research this alien tech for me. I want to know what race made these."

"Roger that." Joker says, words followed by a series of clicks.

"Alenko," I say, "it doesn't matter right now, okay? Put that down and let's continue."

"Aye, commander." He says solemnly, and drops the chunk of metal to the ground. I hear him whisper into the comm though, "Joker, still analyze it for me would you?"

The trail we were following comes to a five foot cliff that opens into a rocky road that leads down into the colony, which is beginning to look more like a city as it comes into view.

Suddenly, there is a streak of white and pink that comes hurtling up the road, being perused by orb droids. I can tell it's a human, and judging by the armor color choice, probably female. She rolls to the ground, and turns on her back, shooting the droids. They come crashing to the ground, and then instead of getting up and proceeding onward, she stays where she is, gawking in horror.

I look to wear she's staring and see two aliens that I can vaguely recognize from my studies, but can't recall their race name. They are bone white and frog like, but wearing black armor that covers their whole body. Instead of a head, they have one long neck with a glowing blue circle at the end, their eye. The neck bends at a strange angle, letting the eye look around. I can tell they are very flexible and very dangerous.

"Look," Kaidan says in horror, pointing to the aliens, "they have a human!"

I look, and suddenly I want to throw up. The aliens are holding the man over some weird device in the ground. He is struggling, fear in his eyes. One alien clicks a button on the side of the mechanism, and a huge spear explodes upward, piercing the man and raising him up a good fifteen feet. He makes a terrible sound, and then goes still. The spear glows and so does his body. When it stops, his body is shriveled and charred.

The woman stands slowly, then runs away and bunkers behind a large rock. The aliens spot her before she disappears, and they begin to advance. I know it is now time to intervene.

* * *

Kaidan and I arm our guns and run down to help the woman. She looks at me, then smiles wickedly, and the three of us begin shooting rapid fire at the monsters. At first, the three of us bunker down, but we are soon able to overwhelm the two aliens and they fall. Dead.

I turn to the woman to talk, and she blurts out in rapid breaths, "Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the 212. You are the one in charge here, sir?"

Alenko and Joker snort, and I simply take my helmet off. "Ma'am." I say, blandly, revealing my feminine styled, choppy, brown hair. I feel a little annoyed and amused. These high tech armor suits we wear are form fitting, so my breast are really enhanced. One would have thought she would have been able to tell. "And yes, I'm Commander Sarah Shepard of the SSV Normandy, sent here to retrieve the beacon. Are you okay, Williams? What happened here?"

"I have just a few scrapes and burns, nothing serious. But the others weren't so lucky." Her light girlish voice is filled with sorrow. I can tell she is pretty young, maybe twenty-three. I myself am nearing thirty, while Kaidan is thirty-two. She's too young to be out here, I think at first, and then realize that I was her age when I first started too.

"Oh man…" she says and begins to pace, almost on the verge of tears and breathing heavy, "We were patrolling the perimeter when the attack hit. We tried to send out a distress call, but they cut off our communications. I've been fighting for my life ever since!"

"What were those things?" I ask, trying to stay calm, and not scare her any further.

"I think they're Geth." The word comes from Ashley's mouth and the comm in my ear. Seems Jokers finally determined who made those weapons. "Those orbs are Geth recon droids." They both say the word as if it couldn't be true.

I'm trying to remember what I know about Geth, when Kaidan says, "The Geth haven't been seen outside the Veil for over two-hundred years. Why are they here now?"

Ashley nervously rambles, "They must have come for the beacon. The dig site is close, just over that rise. It might still be there."

"We could use your help, Williams," I say. The girl perks up at this and smiles, a strange gleam creeping into her eyes.

"Aye, aye sir," she says, "It's time for payback."

"Ma'am," I say under my breath. I can hear Joker cracking up on the other end of the comm. I shake my head as I put my helmet back on. "Let's find us a beacon and kill some Geth."

* * *

My team, now three again, head down t rocky path towards the city. As we near the ruins, I see more spears with charred bodies pierced into them. I wonder what sick mind came up with such a device.

The road leads down into a trench, and Ashley informs us that the beacon should be at the end, unless the Geth have already gotten it. I hope and pray they haven't.

As we enter the ruins of the city, we see a troop of Geth standing guard at the gateway. We bunker down behind the remains of a half-blown-up wall and snipe the bastards. They crumple to the ground soundlessly. As we walk through the gates, I gaze up at the half ruined city. The buildings are all curved and rounded at the tops, and connected by a series of skywalks and bridges. I can tell through the layer of soot on the walls that they are a supposed to be white a glossy, but they will most likely never look that way again. How could anyone continue to live here after what they've seen and experienced within the past day?

Ashley stops for a moment then slowly walks forward to a circular platform on the ground. She nervously gestures and says, "This was the dig site. The beacon was right here. It must have been moved it"

Kaidan looks at her hopefully and ask, "By who? Our side, or the Geth?" I'm hoping on the former. At least it would still be safe that way.

Trying to optimistic, the girl says, "Hard to say. Maybe we can figure out more if we check the research camp."

"Let's go there," I say, eager to get moving, "Maybe there will be some survivors."

"I hope so," Ashley says quietly, "Come one, it's just over this ridge."

As we advance in the direction Ashley indicated, Nihlus's voice cracks into my comm. I pray he is here, and is going to reunite with us. We are going to need all the help we can get.

"Change of plan Shepard," Damn. "There is a small spaceport up ahead. I want to check it out. I'll wait for you there." His voice seems sad now. Maybe the speared bodies are getting to him as well. I hope he can hold off the Geth until we arrive. Just because he's a Spectre doesn't mean he is invincible.

"Roger that," I say to the brave Turian, "Stay sharp. These ruins are crawling with Geth."

We begin picking are way through the city, fighting off Geth patrols every now or then. Thankfully they travel in groups of only two or three, and they always seem taken off guard when we encounter them. I hope we make it to camp, and then the spaceport soon.

* * *

The camp is a massacre. Dead bodies are everywhere, some on the ground and others on pillars. I fight the urge to throw my gun to the ground. Why are the Geth doing this? It's obvious the beacon isn't here, so I begin to search for any signs of Intel that may indicate where it is at.

"Looks like they hit the camp hard," Ashley says quietly. She seems to have grown numb to all the death. She's been through a lot today, I think sadly.

"It's a good place for an ambush," Kaidan says angrily, "Keep your guards up."

Unexpectedly, I hear Ashley scream in horror. I whirl around to see the speared bodies glowing. They have blue lines that look like computer chip data up and down them, with white faces and blue eyes. The spears retract, and Kaidan whispers in revulsion, "My gosh…they're still alive…" We watch as the bodies come to rest on the ground, then in an un-humanly manor bend their bodies upright and begin to advance towards us. Ashley says, "What did the Geth do to them?" She sounds as if she's about to hurl.

The creatures look at us, and charge with un-human speed. On instinct, we begin to shoot. One by one they slow, and blue electricity races across them. The corpses collapse and stop glowing. All that is left is charred muscle and flesh.

We didn't like having to shoot them, but I told my unit that they were no longer human. They are just the husk of a human, alien inside. That's what we'll call them: husks. And besides, they were trying to kill us, so we had to stop them. All feeling sick to the stomach, we make our way to the space-port to meet up with Nihlus.

* * *

We round the rocky bend, and the spaceport comes into view. The three buildings there are freshly on fire, and the walkways leading to the loading docks are cratered and slightly destroyed. One of the buildings looks quite different than the others. We hear a solo gun shot in the distance, and if my instincts are right, it came from the port. "Nihlus?" I say into my comm. "Do you read me? We're about a half mile from the rendezvous. Nihlus?" There is no response. Damn.

"What was that?" questions Kaidan, sounding worried.

"Sounded like a gun shot," says Ashley in a mocking voice. Apparently she has picked up that Kaidan asks a lot of obvious questions.

"Joker," I say, "Nihlus is not responding. Can you pinpoint his location on the grid?"

"Roger that," Joker says. We continue forward toward the loading docks, when Joker comes in saying, "Nihlus is at the docks." A little blue blip appears on my grid where the Turian should be at. "Longitude 10 N and Latitude 15 W. Over."

"Nihlus," I breathe, "You damn Turian…you better still be alive."

Suddenly, Kaidan yells, "What is that!? Off in the distance?" I look to where he's indicating. He's talking about the odd building. It's no building. Blue lines begin to glow on it, and it begins to hover.

"It's a ship!" Ashley says in amazement, "Look at the size of it!"

The massive ship slowly rises upward, pink electricity racing up and down it like the task requires great effort. As it fully pulls from the ground, I see that the bottom is not like any space ship I've ever seen. Instead of engines, about seven tentacles protrude from the end, giving it the look of and alienic head that resembles a deep sea fish a little. Something about the ship feels very wrong, as if it may not even be a ship at all. Pink and orange smoke shoot from between the tentacles and it takes off. There is nothing we can do about it now but warn the Normandy. After I fill them in, we hurriedly rush down to the port.

More Geth troopers are down there, but we easily take them out since we have the upper ground. Once they are eliminated, we step onto the bridge paths and continue onward to Nihlus's coordinates. There are more of those husks down here as well, and we shoot them down uneasily, still trying to fight the thought they could be saved.

I pull out my laser sniper and scan the rest of the port, hoping to shoot down more Geth or husks. I don't see any. What I do see is a body, crumpled to the ground in a special type of armor. Turian armor.

I rush my squad across the bridges onto the loading platform where the body lays. I can see it's a Turian. There is a puddle of bluish and purple blood around him. Kaidan doesn't make a sound, for he expects just the same as me, while Ashley, having never met the Spectre, acts as if it's just another dead one.

"A Turian?" she asks, as Kaidan bends, checking for signs of life. "You know him, Commander?" There's no mistaking it. This is Nihlus. Though most Turians look alike, Nihlus scaly skin had more of a crimson tinged to it, and he painted his face with intricate white lines, signifying his alliance and rank in the Council. All higher Council members painted delicate lines onto their faces. It wasn't barbaric or primitive, but more so a sign of nobility.

"He's dead." Kaidan says quietly, "He was a Spectre traveling with us on the Normandy. He—,"Ashley cuts him off by shouting that she sees something moving behind a box of loading crates. We all arm our guns and aim them threateningly at the boxes. A human head pops up.

"Wait!" He says, sounding on the verge of tears, "Don't shoot!" He's a middle aged mad, dressed in worker clothes and wearing a snow cap. He raises his arms in panic, seeing our guns pointed at him. "I'm one of you, I'm human!"

Not trusting the man due to Nihlus's murder, I accuse, "What are you doing, sneaking around back there?"

"I—I'm sorry!" he stammers, "I was hiding, from those…creatures. My names Powell and I saw what happened to that Turian. The other one shot him!"

What? I'm confused now. "Other one?" I ask, "So it wasn't the Geth? What happened? Are you saying Nihlus was murdered by another Turian?"

The man looks away nervously, fidgeting with his hands. "The other one got here first," he says quietly, "He was just waiting…when your friend showed up he called him…Saren. It seemed like they knew each other. Your friend seemed to relax, and he unarmed his weapon, letting his guard down. Then Saren killed him; shot him right in the back!" The man seemed disturbed, and added quietly, "I'm just glad he didn't see me hiding behind the crates…"

I didn't fully trust the man. How could he have been out here all this time, surviving? He didn't even have a weapon! I questioned him further, and he said Saren boarded a cargo train right afterwards. Pushing his story aside for now, I inquired about the beacon. He must have a clue to where is, working on the docks and all.

"It's over on the other platform," he said, pointing down the train rails. "That's probably where Saren is heading." He took a breath and began a small, regret filled rant. "I knew that beacon was trouble. Everything's gone to hell since we found it. First that damn mother-ship showed up, then the attack! They've killed everyone! If I hadn't been behind the crates…I'd be dead too!"

"Calm yourself, Powell," I say in a commanding tone. Still something about him troubles me. "How come you're the only one who survived?" Ashley piped that she survived too, but I ignored her, and asked, "Why didn't anyone else hide behind the crates with you?"

He looked at the ground, hesitating. "Um…they, they never had a chance…I was already behind the crates when the attack started." It sounded more like a question.

Kaidan looked at the man, slightly miffed, and questioned, "Wait. You were already behind the crates before the attack?"

"I…sometimes I need a nap during my shifts. I sneak off where no one can find me."

Ashley became enraged. "You survived because you were sleeping!? Lazy! Coward! We needed every man and woman to fight!" She took a few steps towards the man, gun in hand.

"Williams!" I say, "Stand down." I turn to Powell, and say, "You disgust me. You've survived solely on luck." But like him or not, he was my only source of information at the moment. "Before we go, tell me what you know about that ship and the attack."

The man looked down at his hands, ashamed. "It was huge. Its shadow turned everything dark, and it made this weird sound that bore right into your brain. That's why I woke up. Then suddenly, Geth were swarming everywhere, coming out of the ship!" He looked up at me, tears in his eyes. "Hey, ma'am, if you want to get to that beacon, you should take the cargo train like that Turian Saren did. It'll get you there fast." He then turned away and said, "I can't stay here. I have to get away from all this."

As he walked away, I silently thanked him. He was a coward, but had a good heart. "Let's move. We've wasted enough time." I said to my unit. I took the down a ramp and series of bridges leading to the cargo train railways.

When we got there, a Geth squad was on board. We quickly gunned them down and hopped on board. Kaidan runs to the control and the freighter hums to life. It rises about three feet above the the quantum tacks, hovering silently. It accelerates forward and I begin to see distant buildings as we near the next platform.

* * *

As we arrive at the next docking bay, I can see some weird alien pod waiting. The pod extends to reveal a Geth, but this Geth has different armor that seems bulkier and is white. "Great," I say, "Super Geths ahead. Be prepared to take defensive positions."

As the train comes to a stop, the super Geth fires large blasts of extremely hot, blue plasma at us. We get down behind the cargo trains three foot walls, firing rapid shots at the Geth. The shots do little damage, and most seem to just fly off its armor.

"It's not working!" Ashley says in concern. "We need to try another tactic. Anyone have a launcher or some grenades?"

Kaidan looks at me, a wicked dance about his eyes. I return the smile nodding. "Go for it, Alenko." Kaidan stands and the Geth looks at him in surprise. It loads another blast, but Kaidan continues to stay put, smiling.

_Bam_!

The Geth fires the launcher, and the plasma blast hurtles as Kaidan. One hit from it would kill him, but he knows what he's doing. He raises his hands up with lightning speed, and there is a transparent orange bio-amp on his left arm. Blue wisps of light swirl around his hands, and the plasma blast comes to a stop.

"He's a biotic." Ashley says in awe. He eyes are fixed on the floating plasma.

"One of the Alliance's best." I say smugly.

Kaidan thrusts his arms forward, and the plasma ball slams into the confused super Geth, exploding him into nothingness. We rush forward and Kaidan just smiles.

"Been wanting to do that all day," he says conceitedly. He is breathing heavy, slightly tired from the energy it took to stop the high powered shot. We continue forward down the bridge, heading to where the beacon was said to be.

Along the way, we see some demolition charges. Kaidan assumes the Geth planted them. I fear that since the charges are armed, it means they've finished whatever they wanted to accomplish here and are now getting rid of the evidence. We disarm them as we see them, hoping we've found them all. There are fewer Geth here now, since they've obviously finished the mission, but the ones we do run into are all super Geth, meaning that we must be getting close to the beacon. There are also plenty of Husks. They obviously don't care about leaving their zombie robots behind in the explosion.

* * *

We come upon a large platform filled with the husks. I command my squad to throw out some grenades, getting rid of them quickly. When I'm sure they are all gone, we walk out onto the platform. The husks lie everywhere, staining the ground with green blood and fluids. I swallow down the bile rising in my throat and cautiously walk forward. There is a small pillar at the edge of the platform with a green energy field swirling around it.

Could that be the Prothean beacon? It seems a lot smaller than I expected, only about nine feet high. I feel concerned that this is too easy, so I don't approach it yet.

"Normandy, the beacon is secure," I say into my comm, "Request immediate extract."

"I missed your womanly voice, Commander," Joker says into my ear, "You don't know how lonely this comm line has been." I ignore him and give further instructions.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Kaidan and Ashley conversing. I can hear them, but I don't really focus on their words.

"This is amazing," Kaidan says, "Actual working Prothean technology. Unbelievable!"

"It wasn't doing anything like that when they dug it up," Ashley says, referring to the green energy, "Something must have activated it." They begin pacing around, wondering what to do next.

I finish my talk with the Normandy, saying, "Roger, Normandy. Standing by." I turn around to see Kaidan walking curiously up to the beacon. The swirling energy begins to grow brighter and pulsates faster. "Alenko! Stand back!" I shout. It's too late.

The energy stretches out at him, and he begins to be dragged towards it. He struggles and tries to dig his feet into the ground, but the sleek metal platform has little friction. There is panic in his as he begins to get closer. "Shepard!" he calls in a terrified voice.

I rush past Ashley, knocking her aside, and run the Kaidan's aid. I'm not going to lose three people on this mission. I roughly wrap my arms around his waist and summon all my strength and hurl him to the side, out of the energy field. He skids across the ground, and slowly sits up, facing me. Ashley rushes to him to see if he's all right.

Before I know it, the energy reaches out for me, and I begin to be dragged to it. I grind my feet into the ground, attempting to walk forward, but it feels as if there are ropes of iron bound to my legs. Every step I take forward causes me to take a step back. Kaidan stands up, then turns to me.

"Shepard!" He yells, taking a few steps in my direction.

"Alenko, don't touch her!" Ashley calls, "It's too dangerous!"

"Don't you come any closer, Kaidan!" I say in a serious voice. He doubles at hearing me say his name, and begins to walk even faster to my aid. He seems to be being pulled by the energy only slightly, for its mainstream is focused on securing me. He reaches out his hand, and despite my threat of him not to help, I reach out to grab it. Just a little closer…

The world flips upside down. The energy thrusts me upward and suspends me ten feet into the air. My limbs pull outward in an eagle spread, and green tendrils energy swirl all around me.

I begin to see flashes of red and black. They look like images of aliens and monsters. They give me the thoughts of death and destruction. My last conscious thought is Kaidan yelling, "SARAH!" Then beacon explodes and I go flying.


	3. 3 Citadel, Councils, and Spectres

My mind was being lulled into consciousness by a series of urgent, but polite, voices. Voices. Well, dead or not, at least I'm not alone. I experimentally moved my toes and fingers, and took in deep, reassuring breaths.

"Doctor! Doctor Chakwas!" a frantic male voice called, "I think she's waking up!"

"Oh, really Kaidan, pull yourself together," an older British female voice scolded. You're going to give her a heart attack…not that that's even possible in this age…" the older voice rambled. "Now stand back. She's coming to."

With a pained groan, I slid my eyes open, being temporarily blinded by the fluorescents above me. Ignoring the doctor, I sat up on my hospital cot and gazed at the faces in the room, not quite registering who was who. My skull felt like a herd of Krogans were ramming behind my temples. I bent forward, almost hurling from a sudden wave of nausea. Everyone in the room was quiet and let me have the time to collect myself. When I felt ready to communicate, I looked to Dr. Chakwas and nodded.

"You had us worried there, Sarah," she said, "How are you feeling?" I looked from her to Kaidan. He looked like he was buzzing to say anything from apologies to 'I love yous'.

I looked away, feeling slightly nervous, and said, "I feel like hell, but I'll live. How did I end up here? How long was I out?"

Dr. Chakwas strode over to me and said, "About fifteen hours. Something happened down there with the beacon. Fortunately there were no more hostiles…alive…and your squad patched us in about what happened. We had a medical team ready when the Normandy landed. It's quite a curious ordeal you went through…" She seemed to get lost in her thoughts.

I looked downward, feeling slightly nauseated again, when Kaidan cried out, "It was my fault! I must have triggered some kind of security field when I approached the beacon. You pushed me out of the way. I should've been the one to take the hit…you shouldn't have done that." He seemed very upset and angry at himself.

I looked at him and in the best voice I could muster, I said, "You had no possible way of knowing what would happen." His eyes still seemed sad, but a small smile crept onto his lips.

"Thanks, Shepard…" he said quietly, abashed.

"Well, we are not quite sure if that's what set it off," the doctor said, slightly annoyed, "and unfortunately we will never get the chance to find out."

"The beacon exploded," Kaidan said in an animated voice, "A system overload maybe. The blast knocked you out cold. Williams and I helped carry you back into the ship…"

"I appreciate that," I said slyly. He smiled again and flushed. It was fun to embarrass him. Feeling slightly better, I stood up and slowly walked around, getting the blood pumping in my legs. I hurt everywhere, but I had my rest. Fifteen hours of it. Gosh, why did I have to be out so long?

Ignoring our inappropriate flirts, the doctor said, "Physically you're fine, but mentally… I detected some unusual brain activity. Abnormal beta waves." I looked at her, slightly confused, but she had gone into a doctor rant. "I also noticed you have an increase in rapid eye movement, which is a sign for intense dreaming. What were you—,"

"Not a dream," I said, "A vision. I saw death…destruction…nothing was clear."

A worried look crossed Dr. Chakwas' face, "I'll have to ass this to my report—," but she stopped midsentence looking towards the round, spaceship doorway that led to the medical unit. It opened with a piston steaming whirling sound. "Oh, Captain Anderson."

Captain Anderson strode into the room. His black skin looked unnatural in the spaceships florescent lights, making him seem pale and grave. "How's our XO holding up?" he said, to no one in particular. The doctor said I would be fine I in a pleasant, job-well-done voice. The captain continued, "Glad to hear it." He turned to me, grave look growing deeper. "Shepard, I need to speak to you. In private."

The doctor nodded and left and Kaidan looked from me to the captain and saluted. "Aye, aye Captain. I'll be in the mess hall if you need me." I wasn't sure if he was telling me or the captain. Anderson then turned to me, looking graver than ever and began to speak what was on his mind.

"Sounds like that beacon hit you pretty hard commander. Are you sure you're all right?"

"Yeah, I'm all right. Losing Jenkins was hard, and then that poor Ashley Williams girl…what she went through," rage then ensued me. "Intel dropped the ball, sir. We had no idea what we were walking into down there. That's why things went to hell. And then the Geth!"

"Kaidan informed us of Jenkins location," Anderson said sadly, sitting down onto one of the hospital beds. "We got his body, and he's going too returned back to his home on Earth with great honor from the Alliance. As for Williams, she and I had a talk and she wants to be reassigned to work under you here on the Normandy. Kaidan and I agreed that this'll be a good idea."

"She deserves it," I said, "She's a good soldier." I saw a lot of myself in the young girl.

"I wouldn't worry about her too much, seems these events have put a spark in her." He stopped for a moment, face turning pale, "But the Geth…They haven't been seen outside of the veil for two centuries, Commander. Nobody could have predicted this."

Happy the things I had missed were being cleared up, I decided I'd better find out what Anderson wanted. "You said you need to see me in private, Captain?"

"I won't lie to you, Shepard," he said in a quiet, grizzly voice. "Things look bad. Nihlus is dead. The beacon was destroyed and the Geth are invading. The Council—they want answers."

"We've got nothing to hide," I said calmly. "My squad and I did nothing wrong. The beacon was unstable and blew up when we came into contact with it. The thing was unsafe and possibly rigged."

Anderson smiled and nodded in agreement. He then got up and walked over to the ship window. "I'll stand behind you and your report, Shepard. You're a damn hero in my books. But that's not why I'm here: it's Saren, that other Turian.

"Saren's a Spectre, just like Nihlus. He's one of the best; a living legend. But from your squad's reports, it appears he may be working with the Geth. And if that's the case, then he's gone rouge. A rouge Spectre is trouble, and Saren being rouge is even more so. He's dangerous, Sarah, and he hates humans."

"Why?" I ask, slightly offended.

"He thinks were growing too fast," Anderson said tiredly and turned back to me. "He thinks we're going to take over the galaxy. In fact, a lot of aliens think that way, but most of them don't do anything about it. But Saren has allied himself with the Geth. I don't know how. I don't know why. But I do know it has something to do with that Prothean beacon. So here is what I wanted to ask: You were there right before that beacon self-destructed. Did you see anything? Any clue that might tell us what Saren is after?"

"Just before I lost consciousness I—I had some sort of vision," I said unsurely, "A bunch of flashing images that made little sense. I saw synthetics, Geth maybe. They were slaughtering people and aliens. Butchering them." Thinking of the vision made my brain hurt, but I silently dealt with the headache. Pain never had too much effect on me. It's something one has to learn how to handle when they become a soldier.

"We need to report this to the Council, Shepard." Anderson said eagerly.

The idea struck me funny. Why would those old aliens believe anything I said to them? They disliked humans, and I don't think they'd appreciate me accusing their beloved star-Spectre of treason. "And what exactly will we tell them? That I had a bad dream? Captain, they will never believe me."

"They know as little about the beacon as we do. We don't know what information was stored in it. Lost Prothean technology? Blueprints for some ancient weapon of mass destruction? Whatever it was, Saren took. And I know Saren, I know his reputation, his politics. He believes humans to be a blight on the galaxy. This attack was an act of war!" He began to pace excitedly, "He has the secrets from the beacon. He has an army of Geth at his command. And he won't stop until he's wiped humanity from the face of the galaxy!"

I agreed fully with Anderson but I still feared the Council wouldn't listen. But that wouldn't' stop me from seeking justice against Saren. "I'll find some way to stop Saren and take him down."

"I'm glad you're up for this, Shepard. But it's not going to be that easy. Saren is a Spectre. He can go anywhere, do almost anything. That's why we need the Council on our side."

"We need to expose him," I said, "We prove Saren's gone rouge and the Council will revoke his Spectre status. I'll do whatever it takes."

Anderson smiled happily and said, "I'll contact the ambassador and see if he can get us a conference with the Council. He'll need to see us as soon as we get to the Citadel. We should be fairly close to the Citadel by now, Commander. Tell Joker when you're ready to dock."

"Aye, aye Captain." I said with a salute. Anderson headed out of the medical wing doors, and a few seconds later I followed him out. I still felt awful, but I had to start moving.

* * *

The bright, white florescent lights of the ship made everything hard for my pounding head to see. For the thousandth time I thought how everything up here in space looked like something out of that super old game franchise called Tron back on Earth. Glowing lights laced along every fissure of the deep blue and gray walls, making my headache ten times worse. I probably should have stayed in and rested, but I had to get out of that hospital room.

My parents both died of diseases supposedly brought to our planet by visiting aliens. People always expect I hate aliens because of this, but I don't. I've done my research and humans have infected countless numbers of aliens with our own diseases. But because of their sickness, I've had my fair share of hospital visits. Now every time I have to go into one, it just makes me think of them, then of my tough childhood. So in short, I hate hospitals.

I stepped outside and into the crew floor. This floor homed the crew's rooms, mess hall, and recreational needs. I slid down into one of the metal chairs, trying to relax for a moment. I literally felt as if I was about to pass out again. Dr. Chakwas was sitting at the mess table, eating our lovely space food. She waggled her fork at me and warned, "Take it easy, Sarah."

I had a few hours before we would be nearing the Citadel but I figured I'd better give Joker the heads up of Anderson's plans. I stood up and walked over to the comm unit on the wall and pressed the orange holo-button that linked to the cockpit.

"Yo," Joker said in his playful, tenor voice.

"Joker, route a course to the Citadel docks. Page me as soon as we enter orbit.."

"Roger that, Commander." The blue holo-map on the wall directed a route to the Citadel. I could feel the ship turning under my feet, making my slightly queasy. I never get queasy while flying. That damn beacon really messed me up. Sighing in defeat, I walked over to an empty part of the orange lit mess table and slumped down, burying my head in my arm.

A moment later, I heard the clink of a plate and silverware being set down right in front of me. I pulled myself upright to see Kaidan. He gave a small, tired smile and said, "I thought you'd be pretty hungry." The moment he said that I realized just how famished I was. Food. That's exactly what I needed to get back onto my feet.

"Thanks, I'm starved." I said, beginning to ravenously tear into the rehydrated meat. He slowly slipped the chair across from me, holding a thermos that smelled like black coffee. He looked a little smaller now that he wasn't in his battle armor, but then again everyone did. We all wore these dark blue, Alliance uniform latex suits when off duty. They were flexible for moving through the generated gravity we received on the ship and kept us warm in the coldness of space. But Kaidan didn't look just smaller, he looked weak. I figured I looked a hell lot worse.

"I'm glad to see you're okay, Commander," he said in a relieved voice, "Losing Jenkins was hard on the crew. He was a good friend of mine. I'm glad we didn't lose you, too."

"Things were pretty rough down there," I said quietly after swallowing a bite, "Captain Anderson told me that Jenkins is going to have an Alliance honored funeral service back on Earth. The whole Normandy crew will be there to honor him."

"Thanks, Commander," he said. And he really did sound grateful. "But you never get use to seeing dead civilians. It doesn't seem right, no matter who they are. And what those Geth did to them… At least you stopped Saren from wiping out the whole Colony."

I couldn't let him give me the whole credit. He and Ashley had done so much. I looked down at my food and said, "I couldn't have done it without you."

He gave me a crooked smile and said, "We're marines, we stick together. But I'm going to miss Jenkins." He took a sip from his coffee, but it seemed as if the taste displeased him, because he set it down a little ways away. He needed to eat, but he seemed too depressed.

"You need to eat, Kaidan," I roused, "I don't want you starving yourself. You must be as hungry as I am, if not more."

He looked away, embarrassed noticed this and said, "I will, I'm just not hungry right now. Going through stuff like that always does this to me."

"I'm sorry we couldn't save Jenkins…" I began, trying to do something to get him to let out his feelings and fix his depressed state.

"I was there, Shepard," he said in a surprised voice, looking back to me, "You did everything right. It was just bad luck. Don't you go blaming yourself." He then gave a sad laugh and leaned back, "It's been a hell of a shakedown cruise. Our first mission ends with one Spectre killing another. The Citadel Council won't be happy with that. Heck, they'll probably use it to lever more concessions out of the Alliance."

I smiled, slightly impressed by how much he'd picked up on. I'd judged him a little too quickly back on Eden Prime. He wasn't a slow thinker at all. Curious of his history, I said, "You've got a good grasp of the situation. You a career man?"

"Yeah, biotics. We aren't restricted, but we sure don't go undocumented. May as well get a paycheck for it," he laughed. "Besides, my father served. Made him proud when I enlisted. Eventually. But is that why you're here? Because of your family?"

I smiled sadly, "Somewhat, I grew up in the slums back on Earth. I lost my parents to disease when I was very young. I wanted to make something of myself, you know, rather than head down the road I was heading. I wanted to become someone they would be proud of."

He smiled, "They are proud, ma'am. I'm sure of it. Shepard, I wanted to—,"

He was cut off by Ashley plopping into the seat beside me. "Commander, Alenko, you two were awesome out there!"

I turned to her and smiled, "We're glad to have you here on the Normandy."

"I'm—I'm sorry about Jenkins," she said, suddenly sad, "Part of me feels guilty about it. If he was still alive I wouldn't be needed here on the Normandy."

"Oh, don't say that," Kaidan said optimistically.

"You're a good soldier, Williams," I added, "You belong here on the Normandy."

"Thanks, Commander," she said bashfully, "I know how you were a war hero several years back. I never met anyone who was awarded the Star of Terra."

"How are you holding up, Ashley?" Kaidan asked quickly.

"I've seen friends die before," she said looking down, "Comes with being a marine But to see my whole unit get wiped out…" Her eyes welled up and she blinked hard, making them go away. "And all those dead civilians…but things would've been a whole lot worse if you and the Commander hadn't shown up."

"Hey, kid," he said cheerfully, "you helped too!"

I added, "We couldn't have done it without you, Williams."

A huge smile spread across her face, and she replied, "Thanks. I have to admit, I was a little worried about being assigned to the Normandy so suddenly. It's nice when people make you feel welcomed."

Kaidan turned to me again, about to say something, but Dr. Chakwas called down from her end of the table. "Hello, you all having a heart to heart down there, mind if I join you?"

"Oh, not at all," Kaidan said with a tint of sarcasm.

Dr. Chakwas slid down to our end of the long mess table and quickly began a conversation with Ashley. "I remember when I was your age," she said to the young girl." Chakwas wasn't very old, I thought, maybe about late fifties. But I let her continue her chat. "I lived down on Earth, but I always found it quite boring, so I enlisted right out of med school." She laughed in her proper accent, remembering her memories, "Earth seemed too safe and secure. I figured the colonies were teaming with adventure…"

As she continued her talk, Joker rang in over the room's comm and said, "Commander, we're nearing the Citadel, prepare to land. If you haven't seen the Citadel before, I suggest you look out the viewing windows to your left. See that taxpayer money at work." His voice had suddenly taken on the role of tour guide. That damn pilot had way too much fun with his job.

Still I was eager to see the Citadel, since I'd never been there before. Alliance rarely affiliated with galactic politics, so there had never been reason for me to go. But I had heard the whole planet looked like a giant Mass Relay, and was supposedly created by the ancient Protheans. And apparently I wasn't the only one. Kaidan and Ashley jumped up with me and we all went over to the port windows.

The Citadel looked like a giant space ship. It had a ginormous open ring with five long rotatable rectangles sticking out, making it sort of a clothes pin shape. Each of these tiers homed a city, filled with skyscrapers and buildings. I could even see founts and greens where they had synthetically grown plants and welled water.

Joker began to ramble his tour, "Supposedly, the Citadel was constructed by the long-extinct Protheans, and this colossal deep-space station serves as the capital of the Citadel Council. The gravity here is simulated through rotation, so don't worry about falling off. …"

"Look at the size of that ship!" Ashley said excitedly, acknowledging a large ship orbiting the citadel. It resembled a manta ray and had a dorsal type streamline fin on the top.

"The Ascension. Flagship of the Citadel fleet." Kaidan said in a quiet awe.

Joker huffed through the comm in a snarky voice, "Well, size isn't everything."

"Why so touchy, Joker?" Ashley cooed, egging on Joker's pride in the Normandy.

"I'm just saying you need fire power, too."

"Look at that monster! It's main guns could rip through the barrier of any ship in the Alliance fleet." Ashley seemed to no longer be teasing, but marveling in a subdued fear.

"Good thing it's on our side then." Kaidan added pensively.

I didn't need to look or listen about the Citadel any longer, so I moved away from the window and headed down to the cockpit to watch the arrival with Joker. The elevator door made a whishing sound as the pistons pulled it open, and I walked in, and just as they were about to close an arm reached out to stop them and Kaidan stepped in. He pressed the button to the navigation level and the lift began to ascend. Surprised by his appearance and forwardness, I stumbled back. I recollected myself, then looked up at him, for he was several inches taller than me, "Umm, heading up to the navigation sector too…Alenko?"

Kaidan remained level though, despite my awkwardness. "No, just wanted to get a moment alone. Pardon me for, asking but could you tell me why we are going to the Citadel…ma'am."

"Oh," I said, trying to keep my voice calm. Suddenly I was so nervous. I had never been nervous before. Well, at least not this kind of nervous. "The Captain hopes the Ambassador can get an audience with the Council. Tell them what's Saren's been up to."

He laughed, "Makes sense. They'd probably like to know that Saren isn't working for them anymore. A moment passed, and then he said, "Commander, I wanted to thank you again for pushing me out of the way of that beacon's tractor beam. You didn't have to do that."

I gave a quirky smile and said, "You would've done the same for me," then quickly added, "Or Ashley."

"Yeah," he said looking up, tapping his foot nervously. The elevator whirred open, rescuing me from further conversation. I nodded at him and stepped out. He called after me. "Whatever happens, we'll be ready, Commander." The doors then shut and I headed down the hall, past the galaxy navigator, and to the cockpit.

Joker looked at me, an eccentric smile on his face and said, "Ready to dock?" He wore an S7 baseball cap with his uniform, giving him the look of spirited kid. I couldn't help notice that he seemed unusually rigid, but it had nothing to do with whatever he was feeling at the moment. Pushing the thought aside I said, "Yes, punch in."

"Citadel control, this is the SSV Normandy, requesting permission to land." He said with enthusiasm into his comm.

"Citadel control," it crackled back, "Stand by for clearance Normandy." A moment passed. "Clearance granted. You may begin your approach. Transferring you to an Alliance officer."

"Roger, Alliance Tower," Joker looked at me and cocked an eyebrow, "Normandy out."

* * *

After the Normandy docked in the Alliance bay, Captain Anderson, Kaidan, Ashley, and I made our way up to the human Ambassador Udina's. As the doors to his penthouse office flew open, the angry waves of a heated argument reached my ears. Anderson walked in and stood a ways away from the yelling and motioned for us to follow.

"This is an outrage!" Shouted a man in a white ambassador uniform. He was older, and of the Cuban race. I ran officials through my head and pinpointed him as Ambassador Udina. He deserved my utmost respect, but suddenly I just hated the man. Don't judge, I couldn't help it.

"The Council would step in if the geth attacked a turian colony!" he continued. He was yelling at three red holos of an asari, turian, and salarian. I immediately recognized them as the Council members because of their noble facial paint and robes.

The turian spoke in a quick, male voice "Turians don't form colonies on the borders of the Terminus Systems, Ambassador.

"Humanity was well aware of the risks when you went into the Traverse." The asari added in a level female voice.

"What about Saren!? You can't just ignore a rouge Spectre!" shouted Udina, "I demand action!" The man was huffing and waving a vised fist.

The male turian spoke in his elegant, yet deep, flanged voice, "You don't get to make demands of the council. Ambassador."

The asari explained coldly, "Citadel security is investigating your charges against Saren. We will discuss the C-Sec findings at the hearing. Not before." C-Sec was the FBI of the alien universe. With that she punched a button and their holos disintegrated. The meeting was over.

Udina bent forward in an angry defeat and turned toward us, who of which were now lounging on his penthouse deck overlooking a public aqueduct garden. He looked at us, seething and said in a slow, bitter voice. "Captain Anderson. I see you have brought half your crew with you."

"Just the ground team from Eden Prime," Anderson said calmly, "In case you had any questions." I made eye contact with Kaidan and Ash, it seemed they weren't liking this guy either. Good.

"I have the mission reports," he said hesitantly, "I assume they are accurate."

"They are," Anderson said, "Sounds like you've convinced the Council to give us an audience." The statement sounded more like a question.

"They were not…happy about it," he said bitterly, voice thick with accent. "Saren is there top agent. They don't like him being accused of treason."

"Saren is a threat to every human colony out there," I said before I could stop myself, "He needs to be stopped. The Council has to listen to us!"

Udina looked at me with contempt, "Settle down, Commander. You've already done more than enough to jeopardize your candidacy for the Spectres." I'd forgotten all about being reviewed. But I realized I no longer cared. I just want to stop Saren.

"The mission on Eden Prime was a chance to prove you could get the job done," Udina continued, "Instead, Nihlus ended up dead and the beacon was destroyed!"

I looked down, ashamed, but Anderson spoke suddenly in my defense. "That was Saren's fault, not hers!"

Udina narrowed his eyes and looked straight at me. "Then we better hope the C-Sec investigation turns up evidence to support our accusations. Otherwise the Council might use this as an excuse to keep you out of the Spectres." He then straightened up and addressed Anderson. "Come with me, Captain. I want to go over a few things before the hearing. Shepard, you and the others will meet us at the Citadel Tower. Top level. I'll make sure you have clearance to get in."

As the two men headed out the door, Ashley looked up from observing the park and shook her head. "And that's why I hate politicians."

I shake my head at this as I activate my Omni-tool, pulling up a map of the city and creating a GPS route to the tower. We walk out of the penthouse and head down the stairs through a series of gardens down to the city level. Looking up at the blue sky, I find it amazing how space station can generate its own atmosphere and sustain plant life. The Protheans race who built this all those years ago must have been amazing. It was a great loss to the universe that their species was lost, most likely extinct.

"Sure is peaceful here." Kaidan remarked as we took all of it in.

"Don't jinx it." Ashley mumbled under her breath. The young girl seemed on edge. She kept looking over her shoulder as if expecting an attack. She had to be suffering from PTSD, I though sympathetically. Never the less we pushed on.

As we exited into the Ambassador entrance lobby, we had to go over to the security hub and scan ourselves out. As I swiped my Omni-tool under the scanner, a flanged voice spoke my name.

"Commander Shepard," the turian said in surprise, "I didn't expect to see you here. Did Ambassador Udina send you?"

I gave him a quizzical look, noticing his official paint on his mandibles and exoskeleton. He was also wearing an official C-Sec uniform. "How do you know my name? Have we met before?"

"No," he said dryly, "but I now you well enough. I'm Executive Palin, head of C-Sec. It's my job to know when someone like you arrives on the Citadel."

Something in his voice sounded hostile, as if I was a threat to the city. I narrowed my eyes and said briskly, "I get the feeling you aren't too fond of humans?"

Palin looked from me to my squad mates, and then replied, as if making his point, "I don't trust your kind. Not yet. Your race is too power hungry. You are moving in too fast. And now there is the possibility of you being the first human Spectre…"

Ashley had her hand on her gun by now, and seeing this, Kaidan said quickly, "Shepard, we better get going. The Council will be waiting for us."

"Yes," I said, then looking back to Palin, "Before we go, tell me about your investigation on Saren." I tried to sound appealing, yet inteidating at the same time.

Palin can we an amused smile and said, "Sorry, Commander, but I don't make it a habit of giving out details of ongoing investigations. Are we done here?"

"Not even to Spectres?"

"You aren't a Spectre yet, and with that attitude you'll never be. I don't like how Spectres think they can just bend the rules. No one does. But there are no regulations binding them, nor will there ever be."

"I'll be going now." I said mildly.

"Goodbye, Commander." He watched us the whole time as we walked out.

As we stepped outside onto the road to the Citadel Tower, Ashley began to angrily voice her opinion about the turian. "I hate that guy. What was all that about no trusting humans? It's the humans who shouldn't trust them! And how can he sit there and act like no one in his C-Sec is corrupt?"

"Take it easy," Kaidan said to her, "the guy was an ass, but he has some reason to be. It wasn't too long ago we were at war."

"This place is a little too perfect. Like their hiding something." It was obvious Ashley held prejudice against aliens, but none of us said anything else on the matter.

The walk to the Citadel tower through the skyways was mostly quiet after that. All the humans and aliens we passed were allusive, but friendly enough. Every once in a while we'd hear an audible grumble as we passed, but we dignifiedly ignored them. We finally reached the tower, and the skyway we were on entered into a club level. There was an amazing panoramic window exhibiting a breathtaking view of the city. It was night now, and it was all aglow with light and life.

"Big place." Kaidan said in awe, taking it all in.

Ashley gave him a sideways glance and said in the most sarcastic voice I ever hear, "That you professional opinion, sir?" Kaidan just smiled at her, then continued to look out the window.

"He' right chief. This really isn't a station; it's a city." I said smiling at the view.

"There must be millions here!" He continued, "It can't be possible to track everyone coming and going."

"This does make Jump-0 look like a port-a-john," Ashley agreed, "and that's the biggest station the Alliance has."

"Jump-0 is big, but this is a whole other scale," he said mystified, "look at those port arms. How do they keep those from falling off the rim?"

"The council represent more races than I thought," I said voicing my observation as well, I thought back to Palin and C-Sec. "No wonder they're careful with newcomers."

"They probably just want to keep everything running," Kaidan said, looking at me. "It has to be hard keeping all these cultures together."

"Or maybe," Ashley said dryly, "they just don't like humans."

"Why not?" I said offhandedly, smiling to myself, "We got oceans, beautiful women, this emotion called love. According to the old vids we have everything they want."

"When you put it that way," Kaidan said smiling at the view, "there is no reason I wouldn't like you."

Ashley snapped her head towards him, eyes big and fighting back a laugh. I smirked, hiding my discomfort, and continued to look forward.

Kaidan's face went aghast, realizing what he just said. "I mean," he stammered, looking down and fidgeting, "I mean us. Humans. Ma'am." His face was red, and I could tell by his manner he was kicking himself inside.

Ashley was still staring at him, eyebrow cocked, and he began to rub his neck uncomfortably. "You don't take too much shore leave, do you, LT?" she said. I laughed at this.

"All right, laugh it up, you two." I said jokingly. "Chief..." I said to Ashley who was still laughing. "Alenko, I appreciate the thought, but we're on duty here."

"Ummm…" he said, uncomfortably, "Aye, aye, ma'am."

"Now let's head up to the Council, and get this over with."

As we began to walk toward the tower elevator, Ashley said to further antagonize Kaidan, "I'll walk drag, ma'am." ( I could hear him face palm himself behind me. I smiled.

* * *

We finally had arrived at the Council hall of Citadel Tower. There was a cascading fountain lit up gold, cascading along the stairway to the hearing room. The sound of the water was both beautiful and ominous. There were decorative, topaz colored, steel buttresses all around giving the room a stately feel. There was also a small garden with a blooming tree in the center. There were far less people in this area, and the ones who were here were quiet and doing business, so the two arguing Turians at the top of the steps were hard to miss.

I recognized one as Executive Palin; the other I had never seen before. His exoskeleton was a grayish, olive color and he had blue paint marks on his face and mandibles. There was a computer eye piece over his left eye. Unlike all the other Turians in the area, he wasn't wearing official C-Sec armor, but a custom made, royal blue and black battle suit, with a larger than life sniper rifle strapped to his back. His flanged voice rang beautifully, even though he was angry.

"Saren's hiding something!" He said, frustrated, "Give me more time! Stall them."

Palin sighed impatiently; it seemed they'd been going at it for a while. "Stall the council? Don't be ridiculous! Your investigation is over, Garrus." Plain then turned and stalked away.

"Damn it," Garrus said, head hung in defeat. He then turned and saw me, recognition lighting up his defeated face. His eyes widened and he began formally, "Commander Shepard? Garrus Vakarian. I was the officer in charge of the C-Sec investigation into Saren."

I smiled and said, "I don't like Saren either. Sounds like you really want to bring him down." It was good to know that some people—well, citizens—agreed with my suspicions.

"I don't trust him," he said crossing his arms in a heated way, "something about him rubs me the wrong way." He looked off and smiled sarcastically, "But he's a Spectre, so everything he touches is classified. I can't find any hard evidence."

I was about to pursue him more about the matter, when Kaidan interjected, "I think the Council's ready for us, Commander." I glanced at him, about to object, but then acquiesced, nodding my head in agreement.

He dipped his head in dismissal, replied, "Good luck, Shepard. Maybe they'll listen to you." He seemed like a man—well, turian—who was willing to do whatever it takes to put something right. I noted this, making sure to list him as a future contact.

We headed up the stairs to the Council dais, Kaidan mumbling about how gorgeous the lobby's fountain was and Ashely cementing on the multiple staircases that made for good defensive positions if the place was ever attacked. They were two completely different people, but I needed both their personalities on my team. It was balance.

Anderson was waiting for us at the bottom of the dais, informing me that the hearing had already started. I was late.

* * *

"The Geth attack is a matter of some concern, but there is nothing to indicate Saren was involved in any way." The Council was positioned at their respective stands, each giving their input and feelings about the situation. My squad and I stood down below on the hearing platform, while a radio-hologram of Saren was positioned up above.

"The Citadel Security investigation came up with no evidence to support your charge of treason," added the Turian Council-man.

Udina growled glancing at me, "An eye-witness saw him kill Nihlus in cold-blood!"

"We've read the Eden Prime reports, Ambassador," drawled the Salarian Council-man, "The testimony of one, traumatized dock-worker is hardly compelling proof."

"I resent these accusations!" Saren said, offended, "Nihlus was a fellow Spectre…and a friend." He looked down, grief creeping into his flanged voice.

"That just let you catch him off-guard!" Barked Anderson, his brows furrowed in skeptical anger. The entire room could feel the tension of the two men's past building up.

Saren smiled wryly, addressing the elephant in the room. "Captain Anderson. You've always seemed to be involved when humanity makes false charges against me." This was not helping the case. "And this must be your protégé…" he said, small eyes burrowing into me. "Commander Shepard." He addressed me as if I was a pathetic grunt, a trust-clouded child. I clenched my jaw in silent frustration, ready to take whatever insults he through my way. "The one who let the beacon get destroyed."

He was not pegging the blame for that on me. "You're the one that destroyed the beacon! Then you tried to cover it up." Our eyes locked, electric tension spiking on both ends.

"Shift the blame to cover your own failures." He said in a patronizing voice, looking over to the Council to see if they agreed. "Just like Captain Anderson," he added with a sneer, "He's taught you well." Contempt then consumed his voice and finished, "But what can you expect, from a human."

I could sense the hearing was spirally out of control, and drastically away from our favor. This banter was not helping the situation. I looked to the Asari Council-woman, trying to hide the panic in my voice. "Saren despises humanity! That's why he attacked Eden Prime!"

"You species needs to learn it place, Shepard." Saren growled, eyes narrowed. You're not ready to join the Council! You're not even ready to join the Spectres."

"He has no right to say that!" Udina yelled, his accent flourishing angrily. He had been personally offended. "That's not his decision!"

"Shepard's admission into the Spectres is not the purpose of this meeting," The Asari said in an annoyed voice, glaring at the accused Turian.

"This meeting has no purpose!" He replied, his voice layered with disdain. The humans are wasting your time, Councilor. And mine." He was trying to get back on a good note with them. I couldn't let this end. Not yet. They had to understand.

"Saren is hiding behind his position as a Spectre! You need to open your eyes!"

The Salrian looked at me, wisdom and understanding in his voice. "What we need is evidence. So far we've seen nothing." My heart fluttered; the Salarian wanted me to find evidence. He wanted to believe me, unlike the others.

I was about to reply, but Anderson spoke up first. "There is still one outstanding issue. Commander Shepard's vision." Oh no. They will never believe this. "It may have been triggered by the beacon." Dammit Anderson, even I didn't by that alien magic crap yet.

"Are we allowing dreams into evidence now?" Saren said in a smugly smooth voice. Our hearing had turned into a joke, and everyone knew it. "How can I defend my innocence against this kind of testimony?"

The councilors agreed in unison, but the Salrain spoke out, asking if there was anything I'd like to add. They looked at me expectantly, yet with annoyance, and I held my breath. Nothing I could say would change their mind. It was over. Closing my eyes, I exhaled in temporary defeat. I looked up to them, daggers piercing their authoritative figures, and said, "Y made your decision. I won't waste my breath."

The three councilors looked to each other, silently conferring their ultimate decision. The Asari looked to the Turain, the supposed leader of the trio, and he shook his head negatively. No surprise there. She then look to us, but her gaze seemed distant, as if she were addressing an entire crowd rather than a cluster of people. "The Council," she began, "Has found no evidence of any connection between Saren and the Geth." Shifting her gaze to Udina, "Ambassador, your petition to have him barred from the Spectres is denied."

Saren smiled with his triumph and said in an overly humble voice, "I'm glad to see justice was served." At his dismals, his hologram flickered out, leaving my group alone with the councilors. Within a second of his departure, the Asari adjourned the meeting, preventing us from saying anything else on the matter. My group turned and headed down the stair without a word, leaving Udina to linger on the dais, his head down in reluctant defeat.

* * *

Udina rejoined us at the bottom of the stairwell. He was pissed. "It was a mistake bringing you into the hearing Captain! You and Saren have too much history. It made the Council question our motives." He did not hide his disgust for the man, but Anderson remained unfazed. He looked to us and asserted the facts we all knew to be true.

"I know Saren. He's working with the Geth for one reason: to exterminate the entire human race. Every colony we have is at risk, every world we control is in danger! Even Earth isn't safe." Panic was creeping into his voice, but never consuming it. We were helpless without the Council's guilty verdict. Saren was free and as a Sprectre he had the rights to do anything he wished and keep it a secret. Legalities aside if he said it furthered the wishes of the Council. He was a star agent, and they did not want to lose their faith in him unless there was solid proof.

I needed to know why Anderson's presence and words had the affect they did on the Council though. The problem between the angry Turian and this hard-core captain must have been pretty deep, and Anderson would never open up about it unless pried. "Tell me about the history between you and Saren."

Anderson's dark face paled and he shifted nervously, slightly turning away. "I worked with him on a mission a long time ago." He confessed. "Things went bad. Real bad. Let's just say I know how he operates, and he'd be willing to kill a thousand innocent civilians if it meant ending a war. And the officials would be just as willing to cover it all up." He regained his composure, pulling himself from the unpleasant memory. "We shouldn't talk about this here. But no matter what the council thinks, he has to be stopped."

So we weren't giving up on this quest for justice, council approval or not. I smiled roguishly, ready to break some rules. "What's our next step?"

Udina, now calmed down, pensively replied touching his chin, "As a Spectre, he's virtually untouchable. We need to find some way to expose him."

"What about Garrus Vakarian, that C-SEC investigator?" It was Kaidan. My two partners had not spoken since before the hearing. It hadn't been their place to, but now anything was fair game, especially if one had an idea. "We saw him arguing with the executor."

"That's right!" Ashley added with renewed enthusiasm. "He was asking for more time to finish the report! Seems like he was close to finding something on Saren."

I smiled at them. Udina had not wanted them to come along. Hopefully their support here would make him change his mind about my crew's competence. The three of us knew the Turian would eventually prove to be a valuable asset. I looked to my two superiors and asked, "Any idea where we could find him?"

Udina nodded, revealing he had a C-SEC contact named Harkin who could help us track Vakarian down. "Forget it." Anderson said with unwilling dismissal. "They suspended Harkin last month. Drinking on the job." He shook his head. "I won't waste my time with that loser. You should try the Shadow Broker's agent Barla Von." I gave him a quizzical look, not sure who the Shadow Broker was. "The Broker is a secret person who isn't good or bad, just deals information to the highest bidder."

"You won't have to," Udina replied aggressively, eyes narrowed. "I don't want the Council using your past history with Saren as an excuse to ignore anything we turn up. Shepard will handle this." A flash of concern crossed his face and he said in a hushed voice, "The Shadow Broker is resourceful, but he, or she, cannot be trusted. They'd be just as willing to sell us out as they would Saren. Even though Harkin's a drunk, he's still got some honor in him. Like Anderson said, he likes his drinks so he'll most likely be in Chora's Den, a dingy little club in the lower section of the Wards."

I appreciated Udina's newfound faith in me, but Anderson was not just my Captain, but my leader. I respected him and didn't like him being dismissed as emotionally impaired. "You can't just cute Captain Anderson out of the investigation." I said in his defense.

Angry words were just about to spew from Udina's lips, when Anderson interceded. "The ambassador's right. I need to step aside." I frowned, but said nothing else.

Udina smirked at Anderson's compliance and said, "I need to take care of some business. Captain, meet me in my office later."

"Good luck Shepard." Anderson said, "I'll be over in the Ambassador's office if you need anything else." The secret meeting was adjourned, and our highly unorthodox investigation was put into motion.

* * *

The three of us made our way to Chora's Deb, taking the Citadel Rapid Transit to save time over the element of surprise and pulled up to the Lower Wards. It was more dingy than  
Anderson had let on. The Wards was the Detroit, Michigan of the Citadel. No wonder it was home to C-SEC headquarters; they needed to be as close as possible to crime city. Thugs and prostitutes slummed in all the public levels, all eyeing us with suspicion equal to ours. But only an idiot would attack three fully equipped, bad-ass, Alliance soldiers. An idiot or a paid assassin.

"That's her!" shouted a man in dark armor, a battle mask shrouding his face. Two more popped up from behind the walled ramp the led up to Chora's den. They all were pointing assult rifles and were not in the mood for negotiations. We bunkered down behind the wall-rail on our side of the ramp before the first shot were fired.

"Looks like they've been expecting us." Ashley said dryly as she plugged a fresh clip into her rifle. Kaidan and I did the same. We could hear the men padding down the metal ramp, approaching for a kill.

I popped up and unloaded my pistol on the closest one who staggered back, burn holes sizzling in his armor. He dropped to the ground to avoid further damage but Kaidan lifter him up with his Biotic. He squirmed helplessly in the air as I shot him dead without a second shot. Ashely had downed the one guarding the entrance to the club, and I could hear the last one shifting nervously, still hiding behind the low wall. Not thinking twice I charged him, firing shots to scare him into revealing himself. He jumped up and began shooting at random, a few laser shots hit me, but bounced off my armor shield. He was down before his clip went empty.

Kaidan dragged the bodies over to a shadowed hallway in the building. We quickly examined them seeing them to only be Turian. Kaidan said in a hushed voice, "Looks like Saren's men. He knows we aren't done with him."

"Yeah, and he'll figure out we aren't dead real fast when these aliens fail to turn in a report." Ashely said bitterly. "Come on, let's get going."

We walked up to Chora's Den, the circular door swirling open, expecting further attack or at least aggression. There was no way our fight hadn't been heard. But we were met with only a few looks and nods. They knew there'd been a fight, and they respected we came out alive. That's the culture of the underworld.

We strolled in like we owned the place, never forgetting our purpose but still feeling slightly out of place among the half-naked dancers and drug doing cronies slouching at the shadowy tables. Asari pole dancers were on platforms above, dancer on their highs and acting as if they had no cares in the world. Ashley exhaled in disgust as the men slobbered over the blue, mono-gender aliens.

"A million light-years away from where humanity began and we walk into a bar filled with men drooling over half-naked women shaking their asses on a stage. I don't know if it's funny or sad."

"What?" Kaidan said sarcastically. "You don't think they're here because of the food?" We pushed through the crowd, and people graciously moved out of our way in fear of causing trouble. We were Alliance soldiers. They wanted nothing to do with us. "I see why this place is so popular." Kaidan said smugly. "It's got quite the…view." He had stopped and was staring at a nearby Asari. She was purple and wore a skintight black leotard that almost failed to cover her biogenetically enhanced boobs. She waved at him and gave a seductive wink. Ashely rammed into him, butting him with the side of her rifle.

"Hey, Lieutenant," she said with mock sweetness, "Put your tongue back in your mouth before you trip on it."

We made our way to the back of the club and saw a man with a crew cut, about fifty I'd say, sitting alone at a small round table. Several empty drinks were pushed to the side and another in front of him, his fingers gently stroking its lip, as if trying to tempt himself to down it like he did the others. He was dressed differently than the others, wearing a slightly disheveled uniform that I was positive had to be C-SEC issued. "That's Harkin." I said, nodding in the man's direction. We headed over, trying to look less menacing but still meaning business.

He looked up at us when we arrived at his table, his eyes and mouth spreading into a surprised, but delighted, stupid grin. His gaze never left my breast plating. "Hey there sweetheart," he drawled, "You looking for some fun? 'Cause I got to say that soldier getup looks real good on that bod of yours." I could smell the alcohol on him and I snarled in disgust. We had been warned about him, but didn't heed that advice. "Why don't you sit that sweet little ass of your down by old Harkin," he continued, almost as if reciting something he'd said a million times before, "Have a drink and we'll see where this goes."

I remained standing. "I'll pass." I said, trying to retain my professionalism. "I'm here for business reasons."

He reclined, clearly disappointed but lacking the energy to pursue it. "Suit yourself, princess. If more soldiers looked like you I might have joined the Alliance instead of C-SEC."

He pricked a nerve. "Call me princess one more time, and you'll be picking your teeth up from the floor." He smirked, avoiding eye contact. "Now, I'm looking for a Turian named Garrus Vakarian. I was told you'd know where to find him."

He laughed, "Okay, okay, relax!" He looked up pondering the name. "Garrus you say?" I could see the recognition fill his eyes then he laughed some more. "You must be part of Anderson's crew. Poor bastard's still trying to bring Saren down, eh?" He looked to us, joking no longer on his agenda. "I know where Garrus is. But you gotta tell me something first: did the captain let you in on his big secret?"

I went rigid, anger flooding my veins. He had no right to be spreading things about Anderson, even if they were true or untrue. "It doesn't matter," I said bearing my teeth. "I trust him and he trusts me."

"Well then I guess you know the captain used to be a Spectre?" He said, smiling when he saw the surprise light my eyes and those of my squad. Ashley and Kaidan mumbled behind me, but I zeroed in on what Harkin was saying. "Oh, you didn't know that? Well, it figures because it was all very hush0hush, if you know what I mean." His voiced dropped a level. "He was the first human to be ever given that honor, and he blew it. Screwed up his mission so bad that they kicked him out. Of course, he blames Saren! Says the Turian set him up."

My jaw was clenched. I wanted to know more, but I didn't want to believe any of Harkin's rumors. Nothing would sway my loyalty to Anderson, not even a clouded past. He had done so much for me and always believed in me. I wasn't going o squat here in the slums and gossip about him with probation charged drunkard. "I don't have time to talk about Anderson, that's not why I'm here. Now, tell me where Garrus is or we're going to have a problem."

He laughed throatily, evidently aroused by my anger. I heard Kaidan sigh in frustration. Finally he revealed, "Garrus went sniffing around Dr. Michel's office. She runs a med clinic on the other side of the Wards. Don't know why but I bet you're going to go find out." He winked.

"I'm out of here." I said with disgust turning away.

"Yeah, good, go!" he called, failing to hide the disappointment in his voice. He turned sadly to his bottle. "Let me drink in peace."

We headed out of the club, and they were all relieved to see us go. The second the door swirled behind us, Ashley blurted the question that was burning in all our minds. "Why didn't Anderson tell us he used to be a Spectre?"

"Maybe it's not true." Kaidan said, lost hope in his voice. "Harkin's an ass. I bet he's just messing with our head." He looked at me. "Anderson's a good man, don't listen to that drunk."

We boarded a Rapid Transit again, and cruised along the pipelines to the hospital Harkin told us about. The entire Wards was the underground buildings built within the Citadel pillars. It was all connected by the transit, and tunnels and hallways and stairs. A never ending warehouse of desolation. As we whizzed to Dr. Michel's lab we talked more about what we were heading into. There was a very good chance we would encounter more resistance, especially since Garrus was hot on Saren's trail.

* * *

"I didn't tell anyone! I swear!" Dr. Michel's French accent was frantic and pleading as we slipped into the hospital. She and her unwelcome guest were in a room across from us with a glass window. The thug was pointing a gun at her. Neither of them saw us, or the Turian crouched on the floor with a massive sniper rifle, steadily creeping to their doorway. It was Garrus. We had arrived just in time for the fun part.

"That was smart Doc." Said the man, his deep voice riddled with amusement. He was enjoying his current power. There were a few others in the room. One was a Krogan. Great. They were a pain to take down, especially when their paycheck was on the line. "Now, if Garrus comes around you stay smart. Keep your mouth shut or we'll—," He saw me.

The thug grabbed Michel around the neck with his forearm, holding her to his chest. His gun was aimed at me, as did his partners "Who are you!?" He shouted with the authority he didn't own.

I aimed my gun at him in a standoff, as did the rest of my squad. These thugs didn't know Garrus was there. I needed to buy time. "Let her go." I said, voice heavy with threat.

Garrus reached the doorway and in one fluid motion whirled around and popped a single shot without even positioning his sniper rifle. Michel screamed and fell forward while the thug fell back. Blood spewed from between them so fast I didn't know who's it was. The lead thug dropped to the floor and Michel scrambled away. She was unharmed, but extremely frightening. Her white coat was splashed with the man's blood.

Garrus stood up and walked menacingly forward, his sniper rifle pointing at the remaining thugs, who were cautiously backing away out the opposite door. My team ran into the room and the fight started. They dropped easily, especially since they wore no armor except for bullet proof vests and were only armed with pistols. The Krogan was a little more resistant, since their hides are tough and he charged dangerously at Ashely. She leapt out of the way just in time and Garrus unloaded three piercing round into its back. He went crashing to the floor, orange blood flooding the ground around him.

"I think we got them all, Commander." Kaidan said. We lowered our weapons but no one sheathed them. Ashley went over to Michel and helped her calm down, checking if she was okay. Garrus turned to me, smiling in the way only Turians could, mandibles quivering and cat like lips twisting to the sides. He wore an eye chip on the side of his head, and it buzzed electric blue scanning the room and me. I looked at him with disconcert and growing anger.

"Perfect timing, Shepard." He said with amusement, as if we were old pals. "Gave me a clear shot at the bastard."

"What were you thinking!?" I said angrily. "You could've hit the hostage!"

Guilt flashed across his face, but he defended himself. "There wasn't time to think! I just reacted. I didn't mean to—Dr. Michel?" He looked to her, concern on his scaled face. "Are you hurt?" I looked to her and Ashley.

Michel was standing near us, quivering but looking to Garrus like he was a god. "No, I'm okay. Thanks to you. To all of you." She was fine, just startled and if she was okay with his risk I guess I could let it go.

"I know those men threatened you, Doctor." I said calmly. "But you need to tell us who they work for. We'll protect you."

"They work for Fist." She said, her French voice quavering but willing to tell us all she knew. "They wanted to shut me up, keep me from telling Garrus about the Quarian."

"Does this have anything to do with the investigation of Saren?"

"I think it might." Garrus said with equal excitement. "Michel, tell us what happened."

She began nervously twiddling her fingers, shifting uneasily. She knew revealing this info would put her into danger, but she was eager to help. "A few days ago," she began, "a Quarian came by my office. She'd been shot but wouldn't tell me who did it. I could tell she was scared, probably been on the run. She asked me about the Shadow Broker, she wanted to trade information for a safe place to hide."

We needed to find this Quarian. I had a gut feeling the information she had was about Saren, as did Garrus and my squad. I asked where she had gone.

"I put her in contact with Fist." Michel said, "He's and agent for the Shadow Broker."

"Not anymore." Garrus said with a concerned edge, "Now he works for Saren, and the Broker isn't too happy about it."

"Fist betrayed the Shadow Broker?" Michel said with surprise. "That's stupid, even for him. Saren must have made him quite the offer."

"That Quarian must have something Saren wants." Garrus continued, pacing with excitement. "Something worth crossing the Shadow Broker to get."

"Do you know what the information was?" I asked, as much information as possible.

"No she didn't say," Michel said, eyes glazing in thought. "She just wanted a place to hide and—wait a minute! Geth! Her info had something to do with Geth."

Garrus looked to me, his excitement peaking and malice sparkling in his eyes. "She must be able to link Saren to the Geth. There's no way the Council can ignore this!"

I smiled at him, but then looked to my squad. "Time we paid Fist a visit."

Garrus's smile faltered and he said with urgent meekness, "This is your show, Shepard, but I want to bring Saren down as much as you do." Then assertion. "I'm coming with you!"

"You can't be serious!" Ashley blurted, gesticulating with apprehension. "He's a Turian just like Saren. There's no way we can trust him."

I hissed at her to keep her prejudice to herself, but Garrus defended himself first. "Not all aliens are against humanity! I couldn't find the proof I needed in my investigation, but I knew what really was going on. Saren is a traitor to the Council and a disgrace to my people!"

I stared at him, his blue eyes flickering with anticipation and hope. I smiled. "Welcome aboard, Garrus." Ashely groaned and Kaidan shifted uneasily, uncomfortable with the Turian's enthusiasm.

Garrus smiled back at me with energy, ready to pull his weight in the team. "We aren't the only ones going after Fist," he said, as if he'd always been on my squad. "The Shadow Broker hired a bounty hunter, a Krogan named Wrex to take him out."

"Seems the Shadow Broker is more involved in this than we anticipated." I said hesitantly. "Udina warned us against becoming involved in his affairs."

"Yeah, and we don't need a trigger happy Krogan tagging along with us as well." Ashley said glaring at Garrus.

"I don't know," Kaidan said looking at me. "I think it might be a good idea to at least meet him. He probably is onto Fist already, could help us find the Quarian faster."

"I agree with…," Garrus said, at a loss for Kaidan's name.

"Kaidan Alenko, Alliance Lieutenant and biotic," Kaidan said, then pointing at Ashely, "Ashley Williams, Gunnery Chief. Got a tongue, that one." Ashely scoffed and turned away.

"I'm with the boys," I said smugly, "Having a Krogan might come in handy. Sorry Ash." She mumbled, but complied to the team's decision.

"Last I heard he was at the C-Sec Academy." Garrus added. "We brought him there for making loud threats about Fist. IF we go now, we might catch him."

I smiled. "Let's go find ourselves a Krogan."


	4. 4 Welcome to the Team

It wasn't hard to track him down, just had to ask if anyone had seen an angry Krogan making threats on the Shadow Broker's behalf. People are more than willing to point you in the direction they are fleeing from.

We found Wrex standing by a hall entrance guarded by several men. He was very tall and bulky, his hunched back and armor all blood read, as well as his eyes. He and a claw-like scar that dragged across his face, but he wore is proudly, making sure everyone knew just how dangerous he was, if his figure or deep, throaty, gorilla voice didn't do the trick first. The group was arguing and it took no effort to listen in on what was being said.

"Witnesses saw you making threats in Fist's bar." The officer said. "Stay away from him."

"I don't take orders from you." Growled the Krogan.

"This is your only warning, Wrex." The officer looked up at Wrex, trying his best to get in his face and show him who was in charge.

Wrex stared down at him and shoved his face in closer, causing the officer to flinch backwards. "You should warn Fist," he grumbled, amused. "I will kill him."

The officer sighed. "You want me to arrest you?" They seemed to be familiar and knew each other's limits, as if that was a good thing. One should never test a Krogan.

Wrex smiled, his red eyes gleaming with danger and provoked, "I want you to try." They were about to fight, when Wrex noticed us standing idly by. He sauntered over leaving the tension and the officers called after him telling him not to come back but he was done intimidating them. He now wanted to hustle us, his unwelcome audience.

"Do I know you, human?" He said with feign pleasantry, a wry smile playing on his froglike mouth as he stared down at me. He completely ignored the three others. He only addressed leaders.

"I'm trying to bring down Saren, and Garrus here informed me we have a common goal."

Wrex looked at Garrus with contempt. "Turian. See you survived your encounter with the doctor. And we just may, human. I recognize you. You're Commander Shepard." He stepped closer, and I was tempted to back away or pull my gun, but quickly realized he was revealing his mission. I remained still. "I was hired to kill the leader of Chora's Den, a man named Fist" He gave one, deep chuckle. "He did something very foolish." This was a Krogan who loved to kill. I noted not to get on his bad side.

"I heard he betrayed the Shadow Broker and is now after a Quarian who has information on Saren's partnership with the Geth. We need to find her before Fist does."

Wrex nodded. "I learned that a day ago. Fist promised to keep her safe. She still thinks he works for the Broker, but he has already contacted Saren." He cocked his bulky head in the C-SEC officers' direction. "He's is down there, and last I heard he still had her. All we need to do is get into the Club. Unfortunately, he knows I'm after him and shut it down. Kid's got a restraining order against me."

"Way to make things easier." I said with exhaustion. This was going to be more difficult than anticipated.

"Like you said, Fist knows you're coming," Garrus said slowly, "So we'll have a better chance if we all work together."

He chuckled. "My people have a saying: seek the enemy of your enemy, and you'll find a friend." We agreed on the partnership, shaking hands,

"Let's go," he said with a devilish smile. "I'd hate to keep Fist waiting." We headed out to Chora's once more. I just hoped I hadn't made a mistake.

* * *

We take the back way to Chora's. Garrus is very familiar with the Citadel and knows all its shortcuts, helping us sneak by his fellow C-SEC officers. By time we make it to Chora's is dead silent. No longer can we hear the pounding music resonating down the ramp. The bodies of the assassins we stowed away are gone as well.

"Be ready for anything." I tell my ragtag team as we creep up the ramp, our weapons all drawn. Wrex is a little to eager and he bursts through our formation, smashing through the metal door a meeting rounds upon rounds of bullets. We jump to the sides to avoid the fire as he continues in and bunkers by a table, laughing aggressively the entire time. The Krogan is insane.

We shoot some thugs down and work our way in, heading to the opposite side of the club than Wrex. He can hold his own. All the lights are off beside a few security and there are no people besides Fist's thugs. Trash liters the floor and table's and chairs are knocked over to make our passage more difficult. Eventually we gun the inexperienced mercenaries down and head to the back door, presuming it is Fist's office.

Two men greet us, but they aren't mercs, but just bar workers. I know they were pressured into helping Fist. They point pistols at us, their hands qavuering as they yell at us to leave. Kaidan convinces them to put their weapons down and "get the hell out of here" and they eagerly comply, admitting as they leave they never like Fist in the first place.

Wrex and Garrus watch them go in surprise. Garrus looks to me, pondering what I did. "I never would have thought of that." He admits.

"Shooting people isn't always the answer," Kaidan lectures, not forgetting Garrus's go-to instincts. The Turian continues to watch them leave, still rolling over my actions in his head.

Wrex suddenly yells, "But they work for the enemy!"

"They weren't Fist, Wrex," I say heatedly. "The thugs can live if they yield. That's just how I work." Ashley glares at the two aliens, and hisses to me that they were fine with killing the workers because they were human but I tell her to stay focused and we press on, searching for Fist in the back allies of his club.

A synthetic glass door slides open as we walk up to it, and we slip into the room, always watching our backs. "Why do I have to do everything myself?" a panicked voice complains. We dash into the room, rounding a corner are greeted with the static shooting of turrets. Jumping out of the way and bunkering behind walls, we attempt to locate the position of the turrets.

Above the incessant shooting a male voice rings, "Time to die, little soldiers!"

"That's Fist!" Wrex yells, jumping from his position. He doesn't make it far until he needs to bunker again.

"You idiot!" Garrus yells, trying to peer around the edge of the wall. "Turrets rip a hole right through our shields." I see the Turian is aiming for the turrets. Good idea, Vakarian.

"Aim for the turrets," I yell into my comm, hoping their earpieces will help them hear my voice over the rapid fire. "When they fall, we can grab Fist!"

They comply, and the turrets begin to smoke as they are riddled by our laser shots. One by one, they implode and we rush forward aggressively searching for Fist. Kaidan calls us over; Fist was lying flat hiding behind a couch. Seems the turrets' fire prevented him from escaping.

I point my gun at him, and cock it, though I hear Wrex growling at me from the back not to take his kill as he lumbers over to our position.

Fist scoots away, hands shielding his face. "Wait, don't kill me!" He pleads hopelessly. "I surrender!" He wears black armor with fuchsia flames on the breastplate and died black hair styled into a fohawk, Little gangster wannabe. But even if he's ridiculous, he's still dangerous.

My gun is in his face and he looks away, afraid to look down its barrel. "Where's the Quarian?" No more formalities. He knows what we want and I'm not wasting any more time.

"She's not here!" He pleads, eyes shifting nervously. "I don't know where she is. That's the truth!" Kaidan confirms call out the lie without missing a beat.

I bore my eyes into Fists. No more games. "Put a round in his leg." I command. "See if he talks." Kaidan nods, drawing his gun right above the man's knee.

"Wait! Wait." Fists pleads, shielding his face. What a coward. "I don't know where the Quairan is, but I know where you can find her." He glances up at me and I see he's telling the truth. "The Quarian isn't here. She said she would only deal with the Shadow Broker himself."

"Impossible." Garrus states dryly. "The Shadow Broker only works through his agents."

Fist stands slowly, arms quavering above his head as he backs into a corner. "No one meets the Shadow Broker. Even I don't know his true identity. But she didn't know that. I told her I'd set up a meeting." He hides a smile, proud of his original plan. "Except when she shows up, it'll be Saren's men waiting for her."

My rage spikes. Men like this make me sick. I grab the front of his plating and pull him into my face, my eyes sparking and my hot breath filling his face. "Give me the location. Now."

"Here on the Wards!" He breathes, weakly attempting to get away. "The back alley by the markets. She's supposed to meet him there. You can make it now if you hurry. Now please, let me go! I have my own problems now with the Broker. You'll never see me again."

"Fine. Disappear. You're no longer my concern."

I release him and he collapses into the wall, breathing sigh of relief. I walk away, when I hear a gun cock. I spin around mouth open ready to yell at whoever, when I see Wrex standing over the man, his shotgun in his face. I freeze..

"Hey!" Fist says, panicked. "I came clean! I told you about the meeting!"

Wrex shoots. Fist falls with a small cry, his red blood dribbling out of his blown out head. We all jump at the sound, but Garrus grabs the Krogan and spins him around, yelling in his face. "What are you doing?"

Wrex pushes Garrus clawed hands off him in disgust, but from my look he doesn't make a move on the Turian. "The Shadow Broker paid me to kill him." He said calmly, slinging his shot gun onto his back. "I don't leave jobs half done."

"We don't shoot unarmed prisoners!" Ashely yells, sounding sick to her stomach.

"How many people died because of him?" Wrex says quietly, boring his red eyed into hers. "He brought this on himself. Besides, we have more pressing concerns."

"That Quarian's dead if we don't go now!" Garrus confirms, urging us to head out the door. I nod my head, and step away from the scene, reminding myself of the mission and noting never to make deals with Krogan.

* * *

We head out the back door and into the alley Fist had mentioned. It's dark and read security lights flicker above, making the room feel bloody and eerie. I think of Fists blown off head again. I shake the memory from my mind, telling myself to keep moving forward.

We arrive at the top of a stairwell, and I see a group of people talking below. They seem uncomfortable and suspicious. We hide behind some crates and observe.

"Did you bring it?" A young Turian asks. His face is painted all white, except his mouth, which is left jet black. He makes me think of Jason Voorhees.

"Where's the Shadow Broker?" A nervous, filtered, female voice asks. "Where's Fist?" She shifts and I see her face. Well, mask. She wears a fluorescent purple breathing mask and is completely covered by a skin tight, decontamination suit decorated with foreign stiches. It's the Quarain.

The Turian assassin steps forward and stokes her hood, looking her up and down. "They'll be here." He says idly. "Where's the evidence?"

His hand moves down to her side, but she slaps it away. "No way." She says to both situations. "The deal's off." He steps away and shrugs, causing his Salarian partners to get up from the seats. They walk over, hands on their guns. She nervously looks from one to the other, backing away. Reaching down to her waist belt, she throws a small circle at them, that explodes, and she scurries away. It's time to intervene.

We run down the stairwell, unloading our guns on them. They recoil in surprise and shoot blindly at us, still staggering from the smoke bomb. In their confusion, we down them easily, the Quarian assisting as she bunkers down behind some crates. One by one, the assassins fall, and we head down to meet our rescued friend.

"Fist set me up!" She says, looking to us helplessly. "I knew I couldn't trust him!"

"Were you hurt in the fight?" I ask, scanning over her suit. One small rip in her anti-germ suit could cause her to die. Quarians have extremely weak immune systems. A single breath of fresh air could give them pneumonia for a month.

"I know how to look after myself," she says looking at her suit as well, noting my concern. "Not that I don't appreciate the help." Looking up, "Who are you guys?"

"My names Shepard," I say, then gesture to my squad, "and this is my…team. I'm looking for evidence that Saren is a traitor."

"Then I have a chance to repay you for saving my life." I can almost see her smiling, but her mask clouds my vision. "But not here. We need to go somewhere safe."

"The ambassador's office!" Kaidan says, looking at me. "It's safe there. He'll want to see this anyway."

* * *

You're not making my life easy, Shepard." Udina says, shaking his head as he turns away from us. We had just arrived in his office and our standing on his patio that overlooks the Citadel. "Firefights on the Wards? An all-out assault on Chora's Den? Do you know how many—?" He pauses, noticing the Quarian for the first time. "Who's the Quarian?" he asks skeptically. "What are you up to Shepard?"

"Making your day, Ambassador." I reply smugly. "She has information linking Saren to the Geth."

Pleasure flickers in his eyes. "Really? Maybe you better start at the beginning, Miss…?"

"My name is Tali. Tali'Zorah nar Rayya."

"We don't see many Quarians here." He enquires gently. "Why did you leave the flotilla?"

"I was on my pilgrimage." She said in surprise, like this was something we all should know. No response. "My right of passage into adult hood. It is a tradition among my people. When we reach maturity, we leave the ships of our parents and our people behind. Alone, we search the stars, only returning when we find something of value. In this way we prove ourselves worthy of adulthood."

"What kind of things, what did you find?" I ask, deeply curious.

"Anything that would make life easier on the flotilla. It could be food, technology, or even information. It proves that we will not be a burden due to our limited resources." Her voice grew quiet. "During my travels, I began hearing reports of Geth. Since they drove my people into exile, they have never ventured out beyond the Veil. I was curious." I could tell she was smiling again, proud of her work. "I tracked a patrol of Geth to an uncharted world and waited for one to become separated from its unit. I disabled it and removed its memory core."

"Don't the core's self-destruct after being disabled?" Anderson asked. "How did you manage to save it?"

My people were the ones who created the Geth in the first place. If you're quick, careful, and lucky some data can be saved. I was able to salvage some data from the audio banks." She clicked on her omni-tool and pulled up the recording. A grizzled, yet bitterly familiar flanged voice rang throughout the office.

"Eden Prime was a major victory!" Saren said. "The Beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the Conduit."

"That's Saren's voice!" Anderson eagerly confirmed. "This proves he was involved in the attack!"

"He mentioned a Conduit. Any idea what that means?" I asked.

"It must have something to do with the Beacon, meaning it's Prothean technology." His eyes lit up. "Like a weapon!"

"Wait," Tali interrupted, "There's more. Saren wasn't working alone." She clicked play again and the recording restarted, but this time it included and ominous female voice that said: "And one step closer to the return of the Reapers."

No one said anything. Reapers were old ghost stories, myths really. "Reapers...," I asked allowed, since no one else was willing too. "Are they come kind of new alien species?"

Tali shook her head, and replied quietly, "According to it memory core the Reapers were a highly advanced machine race that existed 50,000 years ago. The Reapers hunted the Protean to total extinction, and then they vanished. At least that's what the Geth believe."

Udina crossed his arms, looking away. "Sounds a little far-fetched to me."

"No," I said quietly. "She's right. The dream—no, the vision—I had on Eden Prime, I understand it now. I saw the Protheans being wiped out by the Reapers."

"The Geth believe the Reapers to be gods," Tali agreed, "The pinnacle of non-organic life. And they believe Saren knows how to bring the Reapers back."

Udina sighed, shaking his head and looking downward. "The Council is just going to love this." He moaned.

"The Reapers would be a threat to every species in Citadel space." I said to him, not understanding his unwillingness to believe. If Saren believed it, or at least was using it to manipulate the Geth, it was a factor we couldn't ignore. "We need to tell the Council."

"And no matter what they think about the rest of it," Anderson interjected, "those audio files prove Saren's is a traitor."

Udina nodded. "The Captain's right. We need to present this information right away."

"What about the Quarian?" Ashley quipped, thoroughly disliking her present company.

"My name is Tali!" Tali hissed, glaring at the woman. She then looked at me, pleading, "You saw me in the alley, Commander. You know what I can do. Let me come with you!"

I smiled at her. Something about her bravery, her quest, and excitement for life made me happy. And she was right; her knowledge of Geth and engineering skills would be of value to my team. "I'll take all the help I can get."

"Thanks," she said happily, but with an air of complete respect. "You won't regret this." She came to stand by me and the rest of my squad. Within the last few hours, somehow I managed to gain a Turian, a Krogan, and now a Quarian on my team. Ashley had to love this.

"Anderson and I will go ahead and get things ready with the Council." Udina concluded. "Take a few minutes to collect yourselves, then meet us in the Tower."

* * *

"Eden Prime was a major victory! The Beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the Conduit. And one step closer to the return of the Reapers."

Udina sauntered up to the dais rail, a dark, triumphant gleam is eyes. "You wanted proof?" He snarled victoriously. "There it is."

The recording rang out through the silent, hollow Tower. The incriminating words hung in the air, humiliating and frightening the Councilor's at the same time. But they made no notion of these feelings and carried out the imminent order.

"This evidence is irrefutable, Ambassador." The Turian Councilor said in submission. "Saren will be stripped of his Spectre status and all efforts will be made to bring him in to answer for his crimes." Shock swirled in his voice and his head drooped. Saren had been his friend, a protégé he had believed to bring honor to his race. This sentence he had decreed was a nightmare, but he would never stoop below what was just, even if it meant public humiliation.

The Asari Councilor then spoke up, her eyes narrow with disappointment. "I recognize the other voice, the one speaking with Saren." She paused, trying to hold the name back as long as possible, not wanting to incriminate her friend. When she could no longer hold her breath, she let the name out with her breath, heavy and desperate. "Matriarch Benezia."

"She must be working with the Geth, too." I say without sympathy. "Spiritual leader or not, she is a traitor."

The Asari nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. Traitors were no longer friends. "Matriarch Benezia is a powerful biotic, and she has many followers." She said, giving out a warning. "She will make a formidable ally for Saren."

The Salarian Councilor had been watching the two others talk of the traitors quietly, having nothing to say on the matter of traitorous Turians and Asari. His glassy, insectual eyes drifted from the others and came to rest on me. "I'm more interested in the Reapers." He said, a curious, yet challenging air to his voice. "What do you know about them?"

I faltered, trying to form a truthful answer to his question without looking senseless. Anderson spoke before me. "Only what was extracted from the Geth's memory core. The Reapers were and ancient race of machines that wiped out the Protheans. Then they vanished."

"The Geth revere them." I said suddenly, feeling the need to add. "They worship them as supreme synthetics, and they seem to believe Saren is a prophet for their return." Anderson looked at me, and nodded, agreeing with my input.

"We think the Conduit is the key to bringing them back." Anderson continued, slowly creeping into the Reaper threat idea. "Saren is searching for it. That's why he attacked Eden Prime."

"Do we even know what this Conduit is?" The Salarian Councilor asked in doubt.

"Does it matter?" I burst suddenly, not able to restrain my frustration. They stare at me, shocked by my frankness. I falter, but continue. "I mean, if Saren thinks it can bring back the Reapers, that's bad enough. We need to get to it before he does."

"Listen to what you're saying!" The Turian Councilor scoffed suddenly, his unwillingness to believe clouding his openness to the possibility. "Saren wants to bring back the machines that wiped out all life in the galaxy? That's impossible." He paused. "It has to be." He looked to the others, rallying for their support. "Where did the Reapers go? Why did they vanish? How come we've found no trace of their existence? If they were real, we'd have found something!"

"You doubted me before." I said, gritting my teeth. "And it turned out I was correct. You need to trust me. Don't make the same mistake again."

"This is…different." The Asari tried, not meeting my eyes. "You proved Saren betrayed the council and is using the Geth to find the Conduit. But we don't really know why."

"The Reapers are obviously just a myth, Commander." The Salarian supported. "A convenient lie to cover Saren's true intentions. A legend he is using to bend the Geth to his will."

"But the Protheans were real!" I interject, frustration rolling out in waves. "And 50,000 years ago they were wiped out. How does that just happen? The Reapers caused this, and if Saren finds the Conduit it will happen again."

"Saren is a rouge agent on the run for his life." The Turian quickly reiterated. "He no longer has the rights or resources of a Spectre. The Council has stripped him of his position."

"That is not good enough!" Udina said loudly, slamming his fist upon the rail, his accent flourishing in his angry voice. "You now he's hiding somewhere in the Traverse. Send your fleet in!" He made a fist and grabbed in a motion of power, something he was accustomed to and always hungry for.

"A fleet cannot track down one man." The Salarian replied blandly, shaking his head.

Udina let his hand fall and glared at them, a growl rumbling in his throat. "A Citadel fleet could secure an entire region. Keep the Geth from attacking anymore of our colonies."

"Or it could trigger a war with the Terminus Systems!" The Turian replied, equally loud. We won't be dragged into a galactic confrontation over of a few dozen human colonies."

"Send me!" I reply instinctually. They all look in my direction, eyes wide but not all too surprised. "If you won't fight and stand up for humanity, then I will."

"No! Shepard is valiant, but we need a stronger force!" Udina cried. "I'm sick of this anti-human bull—!"

"Ambassador!" The Asari quailed, upset of the spiraling situation. She paused, pensive. "There is another way to stop Saren that does not require fleets or armies." She glanced at the Turian who burst with complaints.

"No! It's too soon!" He fumed, disturbed by her proposal. "Humanity is not ready for the responsibilities that come with joining the Spectres."

"But it's the best solution." I say thickly, strong in my resolve. "If you won't use your resources to protect our colonies and stop Saren, then allow me too. I have proven myself tenfold. Remember, I was up for review and I was the one who exposed Saren."

The Salarian and Asari looked to one another, silently communicating with a nod, and then looked over to the brooding Turian. He stared down, avoiding their gaze, but gave a small nod as well. They all then faced forward and typed on their data podiums.

"Commander Sarah Shepard," the Asari said, "Step forward." I looked to Anderson, seeing his reaction to all that had unfolded. He was beaming and gave me an encouraging nod. I complied.

People and aliens had gathered now in the balconies and doorways. Some perched on the stairs, getting a better look at human history in the making. Their emotional murmuring filled the Tower, filled with everything from excitement to apprehension.

"It is the decision of the Council that you be granted all the powers and privileges of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch of the Citadel." The Asari formally began.

"Spectres are not trained, but chosen. Individuals forged in the fire of service and battle; those whose actions elevate them above rank and file." The Salarian continued.

"Spectres are the ideal, a symbol; the embodiment of courage, determination, and self-reliance. They are the right hand of the Council, the instrument of our will."

"Spectres bear a great burden. They are protectors of galactic peace, both our first and last line of defense. The safety of the galaxy is theirs to uphold." The Turian recited.

"You are the first human Spectre." The Asari said. "This is a great accomplishment for you and your entire species."

"I will uphold and revere my duties to the galaxy." I say with a salute. I'm gushing with joy, cringing with fear, and sparking with energy. I pray to God that Anderson doesn't see these childish, yet understandable, emotions. I want to be formal and portray humanity as a strong force. Then a thought hits me: I am the symbol for how far we have come.

"We are sending you into the Travers after Saren." The Salarian continues. "He's a fugitive from justice, so you are authorized to use any means necessary to apprehend him or eliminate him."

"I'll find him." I promise.

"This meeting of the Council," the Asari says with power, scanning the great room, "is adjourned. Welcome to the Spectres Commander Shepard."

I drop my salute and turn to head down the dais. Anderson's out stretched arm stops me. "Congratulations, Commander." He says, shaking my hand with warm pride. I smile and respond, pushing down my misshapen knowledge of his previous role as a Spectre. No matter how proud he is of me, this has to be eating at him. He was the first human Spectre, not me.

"We've got a lot of work to do, Shepard." Udina says with nervous energy. "You're going to need a ship, a crew, supplies…" he rattles, looking off.

I smile. "I think I have formed part of my crew already." I say, gesturing to my ragtag team that's not a day old. "All of them have proven their skill and dedication to our cause."

I groaned, eyeing my squad. "Not all human, but that may grant you favor in the Councilors eyes. Shows them we're open to the other species. Make them more open to us." He nodded his approval, thenturning to Anderson said, "Anderson, come with me. I'll need your help setting all this up." They headed down the stairs, leaving me, two humans, a turians, a Quarian, and a Krogan alone on the platform in front of the now empty dais.

"I thought the Ambassador would be a little more grateful." Tali whispered to me, her youthful gossip getting the best of her. "He didn't even thank you."

"It's not a big deal," I say as I watch the peacock-man go through the grand doors, Anderson in tow. We head down the stairs. "He's a politician. I'm lucky to even have his approval." When we get to the bottom, I stop, realization hitting me. I volunteered these people to be on my squad and fight for me, but I wasn't even sure if that's what they wanted to do. It seemed trivial, since they all had voiced interest in my cause at one point or another, but I should make proper proposal.

"I realize I just declared all of you as my official team back there," I began, my hands moving uncomfortably. "But I want to ask each of you if that's what you want. I know you've all voiced interest in my cause, but I realize that some may be done." I was looking at Wrex.

Kaidan spoke first, hurt almost in his voice. "I would follow you anywhere, Commander. Into a suicide battle or off the face of the earth. You are my leader and my trust is in you." I smiled at him, and uncomfortable feeling creeping in again, but I pushed it down. I looked to Ashley.

She laughed. "Are you kidding me, Commander? You saved my ass back there on Prime. I owe you. Besides," her face darkened, "that bastard Turian killed my friends and squad."

"I said I was going to bring Saren down." Garrus said, a wicked smiled flaring on his mandibles. "And I believe we'll get the job done. That traitor-scum won't know what hit him." He patted his sniper rifle proudly. I smiled, a little apprehensive regarding his tactics but eager for his skill and knowledge.

I looked at Tali, and she moved her hands, offended. "I said I wanted to join your team Shepard. There's no way I'm backing out now!" I smiled at her and nodded. One was left.

Wrex grumbled, his stubby arms crossed. His red eyes quavered angrily. "You're right, human. I don't appreciate being volunteered." He paused, and the smiled. "But I want to be where the action is. There's a storm coming, and you and Saren are right in the middle of it. I stay."

I beamed, looking at each of them and dreaming of the talents and resources. I had a biotic who's loyalty was unrivaled, a vengeance seeking artillery woman who wasn't afraid to voice her opinion, a trigger-happy, sharp-shooting Turian who knew how to play bad cop, a tech savvy Quarian with youthful curiosity, and a collateral damaging seeking Krogan with a thirst for battle. They would do much to further my cause. No, not my cause. Our cause.


End file.
